Staff recommends ‘direction three’ for Ellsworth brand, centered on cupola icon

Staff member (Staff member) recommended a single branding direction for the city after testing three concepts created with Portland Design Company. "We are recommending direction three with a few small tweaks," the staff member said, noting the design balances nods to Ellsworth’s history with modern flexibility for digital and physical uses.

The recommended concept centers on a stylized sketch of city hall’s cupola and weather vane as the core mark, with secondary icons (parks tree, public works mark, etc.) available to distinguish departments. Staff emphasized the change is intended to be a system, not just a logo, and to be applied piecemeal as signage, vehicle decals and other assets reach the end of their useful life to avoid a large immediate budget request.

Staff said local testing informed the choice: children liked the cupola iteration when Charlie and staff showed the options at a school, and preliminary feedback from departments and the library (which is launching a related brand) supported a cohesive look. The presentation noted a forthcoming style guide and font selection to ensure consistent uses across memos, websites and promotional materials.

Councillors asked about icons, merchandise and prototyping; staff said accessories such as embroidered hats or small amounts of branded swag would be handled in a budget-conscious way and could be tied to volunteer efforts or fundraising. The presentation also noted minor edits remain before a public rollout and that the city will coordinate timing with other local brand launches.