Visalia has a new $150,000 logo. Some say it’s ‘atrocious,’ a ‘huge downgrade’
Visalia’s new minimalist logo, at a cost of $150,000, has failed to get a warm embrace from residents who have responded negatively on social media. The new logo, which was designed to celebrate the city’s 150th anniversary, has received international attention, but not for the right reasons.
The new logo was unveiled by the city on May 7, including on the city’s social media accounts. Visalia posted an image of the new logo on Facebook. It received about 900 comments. A video that transforms from the old logo to the new one with a snap of fingers to Taylor Swift’s song “...Ready for It? was posted on the city’s Instagram page and got more than 1,300 comments.
Most comments hate the logo.
A petition to get the city to revert to the original logo has gathered 3,210 signatures as of Wednesday.
The British company Creative Bloq shared a photo of the new logo on May 13 on X (formerly Twitter) with the text “Residents criticise Californian city’s minimalist new logo” that links to an article.
Officials wanted to celebrate the city’s sesquicentennial with a new logo that incorporates the iconic Fox Theater tower backed by the Sierra Nevada range with rolling green hills and remains “a nod to its predecessors.”
Allison Mackey, the city communications manager, said in an email to The Fresno Bee that the “citywide rebranding was first proposed in 2019, with staff embarking on seeking quotes and proposals to determine approximate total cost of a potential project.”
Mackey said the COVID-19 pandemic halted the efforts before it could be brought before the city council.
The City of Visalia Brand Refresh rebranding project was resumed in March 2021 with the design of the logo finalized in November 2023, Mackey said.
Community push back
Visalia is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California with a population of 141,384 as per the 2020 census and is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley.
Some call the new logo “a huge downgrade from the original logo” and “atrocious,” while others wonder if it was too late to change it back. Some ask the city to not “splash” the logo all over the city. Others said it was a waste of money.
Some said the city could have invested the money to recruit local artists or an area company instead of using the dollars on an outside firm.
Mackey said the $150,000 cost was paid in three separate payments between March 2021 and August 2022 to the firm We The Creative from Irvine.
“The Brand Refresh allows us to update the City’s identity, image, and brand to market the positive aspects of working for and living in the City of Visalia, as well as create a cohesive, modern, identifiable look to be used throughout the organization and in the community,” Mackey said.
She did not say if the logo will be used on city vehicles, such as those used by police and fire employees.
Mackey did not respond when asked about the negative feedback about the logo or if the city is planning to address community concerns.
“A huge majority is voting ‘no way’ to that new logo,” wrote Ila Marie Benedict, who considers herself a “lifelong, very involved Visalian,” on social media.
Did the city involve the community in the process?
Some question who picked the new city logo or how many Visalia residents even got to see it before the city chose it.
On Facebook the city said that “informed by over 800 conversations, surveys and interviews completed with Visalians, the process has included updating the City’s identity, image and brand to market the positive aspects of working for and living in the City of Visalia.”
“As a local artist from Visalia, I am deeply saddened by the decision to outsource the design of our city’s logo to a firm in Irvine,” wrote Cerah Welch on Facebook May 9. “If the city truly cared about our community, they would have involved local artists in the design process and allowed the public to vote on the final product.”
Welch said she took the initiative to redesign the logo “for fun only” incorporating modern elements while still paying homage to the original design.
Welch included, on Facebook, her social photos of the original logo, another logo done by the Irvine firm and three redesigned logos she designed.
Some are calling for Visalia residents to show up at the next city council meeting on May 20 to voice their displeasure with the new logo.
