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Liberty Lake commission to craft public-engagement plan for city logo “refresh”
Summary
After council direction to “refresh” the city logo, the Community Engagement Commission agreed Feb. 18 to form a subcommittee to draft a public participation plan that will recommend focus groups, stakeholder outreach and a timeline for any design updates.
The Liberty Lake Community Engagement Commission agreed on Feb. 18 to develop a public participation plan that would guide a council-directed "refresh" of the city's logo, emphasizing community involvement and technical design standards.
City staffer David told commissioners that the mayor and council asked for a refresh — not a full rebrand — and asked the commission to propose how to engage residents and stakeholders. "The marching orders are these three things for you folks tonight: refreshing the logo, proposing a focus group or work group, and proposing steps in the engagement process," David said, noting that vector graphics and accessibility were priorities.
Why it matters: the city's logo appears on vehicles, signs and promotional materials, and commissioners said they want a design that is legible in small formats, accessible to people with visual impairments and practical for embroidery, printing and signage. Commissioners also cautioned that a rushed timeline to unveil a new design at the July 4 event would risk design and engagement quality.
What the commission discussed: members debated who should participate in focus groups and how to balance community input with technical design expertise. Commissioners suggested a two-track approach: one subcommittee to develop the public-participation process and another (or an overlapping group) to collect graphic-design expertise and stakeholder feedback. Suggestions included inviting graphic-design professionals, arts educators, city staff who will use the logo and representatives from local institutions. Several members also proposed an open contest as one option for soliciting community submissions, with clear criteria defining a "refresh" versus a total redesign.
David showed examples and walked the commission through common approaches used by other organizations — small iterative "refreshes" versus full redesigns — and explained technical considerations such as vector artwork that scales without pixelation. He also asked the commission to produce a short plan the group can present to council in the coming months.
Next steps: commissioners volunteered a subcommittee led by Robin Bedall to draft an engagement plan and focus-group framework. The group will develop an outline for the March meeting and coordinate with city staff to ensure the plan reflects where city vehicles, signage and vendor needs intersect with design choices. The commission will present the proposed public-participation plan to council for review before significant design work begins.
The commission scheduled follow-up discussion for its March 18 meeting and emphasized the priority: produce a thoughtful, accountable community-engagement process rather than a hurried unveiling.
