Altogether Studios presents branding themes to Glenview board; 'bear' and 'living legacy' central

Altogether Studios presented the discovery-phase findings of a village branding project to the Glenview Board of Trustees on Sept. 16, outlining six key themes and a proposed strategic direction for messaging and visual identity.

David Just (village director of community engagement) introduced Marisa Schultz and Rachel Aziz of Altogether, who summarized work since June: staff kickoff, interviews with more than 80 stakeholders and a project-team process that included residents, business owners and representatives from village institutions. The team distilled community input into six themes including "living legacy," "excellence without attitude," "nature is your DNA," and a "big-hearted" community culture.

Presenters recommended incorporating and clarifying the community mascot—"the bear"—by sharing its historic story and developing a more active ambassador role for it, while cautioning against a purely cartoonish approach. They explained next steps: translate preferred mood-board directions into three logo-development concepts, meet with the project team in mid-late October, refine options, and present one or two options to the board in early December, followed by work on brand guidelines and implementation strategy.

Trustees asked about project-team composition, how the new brand would relate to existing gateway signs and signage investments, and requested brand guidelines to support future signage and mural work. Trustees generally welcomed the themes and urged that heritage elements remain prominent in the brand.

No formal vote was taken; the presentation will inform future ordinance-level or budget items only if the board approves implementation expenditures.