Jerome Township officials feel the area needs to revamp its branding, but it will have to wait until next year.
Trustee Chair Megan Sloat, who leads the township’s rebranding committee, shared a recommendation with her fellow board members that they wait to budget for the project until 2023.
“We (Sloat and Fiscal Officer Robert Caldwell) felt more comfortable doing this next year,” she said.
Sloat said the committee was formed a couple years ago, following the recognition by the board and township officials that signage throughout the area was inconsistent.
A desire among officials to make Jerome Township wayfinding signs adhere to a specific image led them to pursue a larger rebranding initiative.
Sloat said the rebranding committee consists of her and two resident volunteers.
They began their work with a poll in which residents could select whether they prefer future branding reflects the history of Jerome Township or the future of innovation in the area. Sloat said the history-centric option received 64% of the votes.
From there, she said she researched other municipalities who recently underwent, or are currently undertaking, their own rebranding projects.
Sloat said Orange Township recently completed a rebranding initiative. She shared documents from the township, which include color and style guides, as examples of what Jerome Township could expect to do.
She noted that Plain City recently advertised a Request for Proposals for its own rebranding efforts, while the Union County Convention and Visitors Bureau is also in the midst of a similar project.
Based on those areas’ work, Sloat said Jerome Township should anticipate a rebranding project to cost between $20,000 and $25,000.
Since the township is in the process of creating a new comprehensive plan and a new website, Sloat said her initial feeling is that rebranding should wait until next year.
She said she asked rebranding committee members if they felt the township should proceed with creating a new logo this year, before the full branding project begins in 2023.
The two committee members were “pretty split,” Sloat said.
She said one felt creating a new logo this year would continue the progress of the community survey and ride momentum created in conversations with vendors. The other member felt that separating the logo would make the full rebranding process less effective, Sloat said.
Ultimately, Sloat and Trustees Barry Adler and Wezlynn Davis agreed to pursue a new logo as part of a full rebranding process.
They also agreed with Sloat’s recommendation to budget for the project in 2023.
Sloat said the main downside of waiting a year stems from the fact that the township is already working with a contractor, Granicus, to create a new website.
In speaking with representatives from Granicus, Sloat said she learned that it will likely cost between $7,000 and $8,000 to incorporate a new logo and colors to the website once it is already complete.
Still, the board agreed that it is worthwhile to wait to begin the rebranding process until other major projects are completed.
Ultimately, Sloat said she is hopeful the rebranding will increase the visibility of the township and its amenities, and create a more cohesive identity.
In other business:
– The township scheduled a special meeting at 5 p.m. March 7 for the purpose of meeting with legal counsel.