Council Selects ‘Balanced’ Atom And Leaf Logo And ‘Where Discoveries Are Made’ Strapline

Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on December 2, 2015
- 5:33 pm

The Los Alamos County Council voted 7-0 Tuesday evening to approve this option of a ‘Balanced’ logo with the strapline ‘Where discoveries Are Made’. In a recent survey, 78 percent of the community responding chose ‘Where discoveries Are Made’ as their preferance for a strapline. The ‘Balanced’ logo with its atom and leaf design embraces the history, science and nature of Los Alamos. Courtesy image

An example of the new logo on a county truck. Courtesy image

Staff Report

Los Alamos County Council voted 7-0 Tuesday evening to select the ‘Balanced’ logo of an atom and a leaf in “Los Alamos” and the “Where Discoveries Are Made” strapline from the options presented by Atlas Advertising, LLC during the meeting in Council Chambers.

The measure includes approval of $25,000 for the brand logo design services and $25,000 for the brand implementation plan services, plus applicable Gross Receipts Tax.

County Manager Harry Burgess recommended that Council decide on a course of action Tuesday evening that would enable the branding process to move forward to final brand identity design and development of an implementation plan so that the brand can be put into action. Members of the local Branding Review Committee spoke during public comment also encouraging County Council to make a decision that results in moving forward with the branding process.

Atlas Advertising traveled to Los Alamos from Denver to present to Council the selected straplines plus logo concepts that support the branding initiative. Atlas has been under contract since March 2015 to develop the straplines and logo concepts for $17,500. They traveled to Los Alamos in May for public meetings and stakeholder interviews as part of the public outreach process.

The County also administered an “Open Forum” survey about branding and furnished results to Atlas. After considering the possible options, Atlas selected two straplines in September:

“Where Discoveries Are Made;” and
“All the Elements of Imagination”.

Atlas based its selection on discussion with the Los Alamos Branding Review Committee, community input, and the strapline’s encapsulation of Los Alamos’ unique assets, as well as the ability to use it as a springboard for creative campaigns to attract Los Alamos’ target audiences that include prospective employers, employees, residents and visitors throughout the state and the surrounding region.

Since September, Atlas has been working on developing the next step – logo concepts – with feedback furnished by the Branding Review Committee. Council’s selection Tuesday evening of the Los Alamos brand strapline and logo concept allows Atlas to proceed with the original contract AGR15-4159, including strapline and logo design finalization and the development of a brand implementation plan. These deliverables are anticipated to be ready for Council and public review and selection in spring 2016, at which time Council will make the decision to proceed to phase three: brand execution.

To date, $67,500 has been spent on the Los Alamos Branding Initiative. Of that amount, $50,000 paid for a comprehensive brand study conducted by branding research consultants North Star Destination Strategies from January 2013 through May 2014, which identified the community’s assets, target audiences and their perceptions, demographics and spending behaviors.

The individual reports generated from this effort are of the quality and content that the County’s Economic Development Administrator provides them to prospective businesses. The Brand Study also produced a research-based brand platform statement that forms the basis for all brand communications and creative products.

Attachments: A – Brand Svcs Contract AGR15-4159 (Atlas Advertising), B – Brand Strapline Selection Svcs AGR15-4159-A1, C – Atlas Brand Identity Presentation to Council