Brookfield could have a new logo and all new branding materials as soon as April 2027.
The village board was supportive on Feb. 9 of initiating a request for proposals (RFP) from vendors in search of a branding and identity plan.
“In this plan, we intend to request a new village logo, a tagline for the village, a uniform palette of colors, and we intend to have this sort of master-logo brand to also incorporate sub-brands that can be used” for Brookfield’s different business districts including downtown, Eight Corners and Ogden Avenue, said Bob Uphues, the village’s communications and marketing manager.
With the board’s support, staff are set to release the RFP on Feb. 20 with a due date of March 20. After selecting a vendor, the village would assemble a group of community members and some village officials to guide the yearlong design process.
“We believe that choosing members from a wide range of organizations and groups, and two members of the village board, to create one ad-hoc committee during this tenure would be beneficial to get all different perspectives and voices,” said Noah Rife, the village’s management analyst.
According to village documents, the project is budgeted at about $85,000 for this year, with the funds to be taken from Brookfield’s hotel/motel tax fund, Uphues said. He said staff’s desire to update the village’s branding and logo comes as its current logo, which was designed in 1962 by the village manager, is aging into its 60s.
“He included all of the iconography in that seal, all tied to events that took place in 1961 and ’62, so that seal is basically frozen in amber,” he said.
At the same time, different departments within Brookfield’s government have their own logos without much of a throughline, he said.
At the Feb. 9 meeting, trustees seemed split on whether the inclusion of specific branding for the three business districts, which Rife noted are all tax-increment finance districts, would be a good fit for Brookfield.
“For Chicago, it makes sense. You’ve got the Loop. You’ve got the Mag Mile. You want to be able to identify those areas, but we’re three square miles,” Trustee Jennifer Hendricks said. “Having these sub-brands for these sub-districts confuses and complicates the issue and is maybe counterproductive by taking away from the one single identity of saying, ‘Come to Brookfield. This is what Brookfield is.’”
Trustee Nicole Gilhooley said she liked the idea of unique branding for each business district.
“They do have a different feel, whether you’re on 31st Street or on Grand Avenue or on Broadway,” she said. “These do have a uniqueness to them. Maybe [each district] deserves a little bit of its own shoutout.”
Assistant Village Manager Stevie Ferrari said the goal would be to create cohesion among the different areas of town under Brookfield’s new branding. Trustee Katie Kaluzny suggested asking potential vendors to create the sub-branding so the village board could decide later whether to implement it.
Ultimately, the village board was supportive of the initiative. Responses to the RFP are set to come before the board for selection at its April 13 meeting.
