Vista council will send three logo options to a 60-day public survey, approves small contract increase

The Vista City Council voted unanimously on Jan. 14 to present three proposed city logo designs for a 60-day public survey and to approve the first amendment to the graphic design services contract, increasing the contract ceiling by $787.27 to $42,787.27.

Assistant City Manager Amel de Huerta told the council staff had run a request-for-proposals process in 2024, interviewed three designers and selected local designer Jamie Mulehausen (Vibrosonic). De Huerta said staff had spent $26,398.12 to date and that the amendment would compensate the contractor for a modest expanded scope of work. “The contract total compensation amount is amended to increase the contract ceiling by $787.27 to a new total contract ceiling of $42,787.27,” de Huerta said as part of the staff recommendation.

Council member Melendez moved to advertise the three concepts to the public and return with results, rollout cost estimates and a plan; Deputy Mayor O'Donnell supported the motion. Melendez framed the public survey as informational for council decision-making: “I would move that we take these, these 3 concepts … and we put it to the public to see which one they would prefer,” she said. City staff confirmed the public survey will run 60 days and include an optional comment box limited to 180 characters.

Council discussion covered several recurring topics: whether to present additional iterations or open submissions to the public; how to avoid repeated redesign cycles; the logistics and likely cost of rolling out a new brand across city materials and signage; and legal/licensing concerns if the city accepted public submissions. City Attorney Walter Chung advised the council about rights and protections for commissioned work: “Once we own it and own the license, we can make any changes we want to it,” he said, and added that staff would require documentation assigning rights and indemnifying the city if outside submissions were accepted.

Several council members urged caution about broad open submissions because of the growing use of AI tools and the difficulty of guaranteeing that outside entries would be licenseable for trademark and exclusive use. Others argued the public should have input on a citywide brand. The council settled on staff’s recommendation to present three refined options (including one showing “Vista” with raised lettering as an iteration) and to include a comment box for residents to explain preferences.

The motion also authorizes staff to approve the limited scope amendment to the designer contract so the chosen option can be developed for roll-out. Staff will report back with the survey results, a cost estimate for phasing the rollout (example: replacing business cards and stationery first, then monument signs as budgets permit), and proposed implementation phases.

The vote was unanimous. The council’s posted staff report and the survey will be published on the city website as part of the outreach materials.

Ending: Staff will run the 60-day public survey and return to council with the results and recommended rollout plan.