While Democrats in the state legislature and Governor Hickenlooper are trying to tell Coloradans that the state needs a $1 billion income tax increase, they were quietly burning through nearly $1 million on a new state logo. Over the summer three very uninspiring finalists were declared, and this week we have a winner. If you can call it that based on reactions from the state’s citizens.
As expected, there were a lot of opinions, mostly negative. Sidenote: one thing that we observed, but have not heard any mention of, is the fact that this logo is almost identical to that of the Sugarloaf ski area.
This logo was created as part of the governor’s economic development plan. A lot of collaboration was put into it, and a lot of resources were invested ($1.5 million in pro bono private sector contributions and $800,000 from the state’s tourism office). According to Aaron Kennedy, the state’s chief marketing officer, and a founder of Noodles & Co., the new brand will “help Colorado attract talent and jobs,” and “save public dollars by eliminating the need to manage individual brands for each agency and department in state government.”
We are shocked at the notion of brand managers working in various agencies of the state government. This is the state of Colorado we are talking about here, not Johnson & Johnson.
If the governor was truly interested in the economic development of this state, he would take simple, needle-moving steps such as coming out against job killing tax increases, denouncing new laws targeting Colorado businesses, and quelling the adversarial approach that his regulators take against our most promising industry. Instead he is doing the opposite.
Pingback: Colorado Peak Politics - HIT THE PAUSE BUTTON: Republican Lawmaker Wants to Re-Examine the Expensive Roll-Out of Hickenlooper’s Controversial State Logo
If people outside of Colorado do not recognize the letter 'C' from our state flag, the why has the Dept. of Tourism's 'Colorado: Come to Life' campaign been so successful when it features the C? Isn't that campaign specifically for out-of-state tourists? Why won't they change it if Brand Colorado's extensive research has shown it is fundamentally flawed? Because it's not true.
Shouldn't the "By Colorado" program mainly be focused on people in-state? I mean, would you be more inclined to buy a product that said "By Arizona?" No, you wouldn't because it is not your state.
HIckenlooper wants to run for President in 2016 and wants to stimulate our economy while distancing himself from the marijuana industry (which is not allowed to carry the logo, but can use the state flag since that cannot be trademarked). Because nobody came up with anything good, the program is backfiring because Colorado residents can't understand why we are not using the C in the first place.
I do graphic design and the first thing that came to my mind was "Clip Art".
Granted, I am not very good at logo creation but seriously, the money spent on that garbage could have easily been better spent in productive marketing rather than designing something that looks like 1997 Clip Art from some no-name software company.
Count on me to vote NO on any tax increase. I would vote no anyway but this kind of waste grinds the wrong gears.
Pingback: Colorado Peak Politics - CONFUSION: Gov’s Brand Guy Steps into Buzz Saw at State Tourism Meeting
Wonder if any of the "experts" bothered to check and see what "CO" is the symbol for on the New York Stock Exchange? CO= China Cord Blood Corporation!
further proof of how much Democrats love to waste other peoples money.
Well, in business, when its slow, you advertise. Hickenlooper is a business man. Times are slow. Thus the new brand. I don't have a view of what the state looks like from the outside. I don't particularly like the winner, but then I live here. I liked the C with the yellow on the blue and white stripes. I love the skies here, but it's not what Colorado is known for. CO is carbon monoxide(lol). It doesn't look terribly inviting. Generic is a word that comes to mind. Generic and boring.
Ugly.
Hope Sugarloaf sues their ass for copyright infringement.
Oh the reasons to move just keep stacking up. My stomach hurts thinking of the useful things that could have been done with all that money. Hell, it might have even funded some teachers.
It stinks!