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Commission to help recruit Liberty Lake residents for logo focus group as staff speeds a 'refresh' timeline
Summary
Staff and project lead Mark Makavoy outlined a compressed schedule to produce conceptual logo designs for the city's 25th anniversary. The plan calls for an open-call focus group, targeted outreach to residents with graphic-design experience and survey work; commissioners debated whether to aim for a July 4 reveal or a larger late‑summer unveiling.
Mark Makavoy and city staff told the commission on April 15 that the city council authorized a logo refresh and that council feedback left the scope and timeline compressed. Staff proposed an open-call focus group plus targeted recruitment of residents (including those with design experience) to shape survey questions and public outreach; the data would then inform conceptual designs for city council review.
Makavoy said the immediate objective is to gather community feedback sufficient to give a graphic designer direction. "The first step is to schedule a sort of an open call for people," he said, describing an open meeting and some direct recruiting to ensure representation from different ages and backgrounds. Staff suggested using the farmers market and a brief series of face-to-face engagements during the first three weekends after the focus-group work is underway to gather broader input.
Commissioners debated what "refresh" means and cautioned the group to stay within the council’s authorization; some said the term could allow minor updates while others said it might open the door to more extensive redesigns. Staff emphasized the primary responsibility would be run by staff with the commission’s support on outreach and a small steering group (no more than four commission members) to avoid triggering public-meeting requirements.
Timing: Makavoy and staff said they hope to have survey results and an initial set of conceptual designs by the third week of May so city council can narrow options. Several commissioners suggested delaying a formal public unveiling from the Fourth of July to a larger Spokane Symphony/Labor Day concert to allow more time for refinement and promotional materials.
The commission agreed to help recruit residents, provide names to staff for targeted outreach, and support face-to-face surveying at farmers market dates. Staff will schedule an open-call session as early as the following Thursday and report back to the commission with the focus-group roster and a timeline for design deliverables.
A separate procedural motion carried to continue the previously added agenda item (item B from March) to the commission’s May meeting; that administrative vote leaves the logo process to proceed by staff request and focus-group work.
