Ishpeming council adopts new city brand and logo package

The Ishpeming City Council voted to adopt a new city logo and accompanying branding package at its meeting on Sept. 9, 2025, after a presentation by branding consultant Elena Mueller Younger.

Mueller Younger, who led the steering committee process, presented three primary logo colorways and explained the design rationale, saying the color palette and an updated “iron ore” color were chosen to reflect “the natural colors of the Ishpeming landscape” and to reduce potential confusion with local school identities. She described an icon library of interchangeable symbols — pickaxes, skis, bike tires — intended for different applications.

Council discussion focused on whether the primary logo should emphasize more historic and recreational elements such as skiing in addition to mining. “I think we should be paying a bigger nod to other things as well,” Council member Kurt Kipling said during debate, while others urged simplicity so the logo registers on vehicles and signs at speed. Mueller Younger described community outreach for the project: a steering committee, a public survey run in the fall of the prior year, and repeated committee review.

Council members also discussed further refinements to interchangeable icons and asked staff to supply additional ski icon options for the icon library. After additional comments, a motion to accept the rebranding logo and its package as presented passed with a voice vote: “All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Motion passed.”

The council noted the package will include an icon library and that individual organizations (for example, school or club organizations) may adopt variants for their own use.

The council’s adopted package was described by the presenter as intended to stand apart from school marks and to provide a compact, recognizable mark for use on vehicles, letterhead and signage.

Council members and staff said the steering committee included a council representative and business stakeholders; Mueller Younger said the process had included an online community survey and multiple committee reviews.

No formal ordinance or other regulatory change was enacted; the council approved the logo package and authorized staff to proceed with implementation steps and distribution of the icon library.

The council directed staff to provide additional interchangeable-ski icon options for the package and to proceed with the branding materials delivery included in the presentation package.

The new logo package will be used for city applications and made available for other entities to use in alternative icon configurations.