Is Visalia asking local artists to donate their work for the new logo? What we know
As soon as the City of Visalia announced last week that its logo redesign process was now open for artwork submission, a big question emerged.
Was the city really asking people to donate their work for the new logo while pointing out that the city had spent $150,000 for a rebranding that included a recruitment strategy and the minimalistic logo that led to a public outcry?
“They paid $150k for the other logo but want local artist to donate their artwork? At least that is how it seems from the agreement on the submission site,” wrote Brian Peter Jr., on the City’s Facebook post on June 18 announcing the opening of the process.
Some were in disbelief that after the fallout the city wanted local artists to donate their art for the city to use it freely while others said the city should get the money back and use it as a scholarship.
“You paid $150k to a group in Irvine, what’s the pay rate for your own city artist?” wrote Michael Candell.
Visalia’s logo redesign process includes a form that must be signed by the person submitting the artwork. The person would “donate the artwork to the City for the purpose described herein and that no compensation, goods or services were received in exchange for this donation.”
“Wonder if the city is offering any sort of compensation? Since they were more than welcome with paying $150k for their modern logo … what is the licensing and compensation looking like for your local artists,” wrote Leesa Bocanegra on Facebook. “I’m sorry but this is not supporting local art. This is exploiting local art.”
“I wonder if a local artist will be paid $150K?” wrote Sally Raphael.
“Are you paying artists for their work? What licensing terms are you prepared to enter into? Has city attorney been consulted on this?” wrote Barry Caplan.
Others defended the city, saying they were happy the city council listened to its constituents and tried to make things right to include the community in the process.
The council directed staff to work with the Brand Refresh Logo Design Committee to make a recommendation on a prize amount and once the committee is appointed and convened, they’ll be able to provide a recommendation to the council on compensation.
The final logo chosen by the city council will become property of the city. If the winner does not agree to the terms transferring rights and interests of the artwork, another submission will be chosen.
The logo design committee
According to Visalia spokeswoman Allison M. Mackey, the city council voted in early June to appoint one person each to the five-person committee.
“The council has each appointed one member of the community; I am working to connect with each of them now to confirm their appointment and availability,” Mackey said, adding that as soon as the committee appointees are confirmed, that information will be released to the public.
The committee will meet July 8 and possibly July 10 at a city facility to review submissions. Both meetings will be open to the public.
After their review, the Committee will provide three to five logos that meet the set guidelines and will provide formal feedback and recommendations to City staff, she said.
According to Mackey, once the committee meets, staff will ask them to discuss options for a prize for the winning submission and provide their recommendations in the next presentation to the council.
Logo entry deadline is 5 p.m. on July 2. Designs can be submitted either via an online submission form or people can drop off digital or hard copy files with complete form at the city’s administration office (220 N. Santa Fe).
