COLUMBIA — The city unveiled a new logo and branding guidelines officials said will help better pitch Columbia to developers and capture the city’s story at the April 16 City Council meeting.
The branding guidelines will ensure that every department is using the same fonts, colors and logo to promote the city’s message.
A promotional video created by city staff was played for an audience at the April 16 meeting.
“We’ve steadily said we are making strides together and have said that for almost the last three years as a group,” Mayor Daniel Rickenmann said at the meeting. “It’s a pretty exciting day to see that. I really do think it roots to the heart of who we are.”
The new logo takes inspiration from the South Carolina State flag and the three rivers passing through the city, City Manager Teresa Wilson said.
The logo is accompanied by a new slogan: “Together, We Are Columbia.” This is a slight variation on the existing “We Are Columbia” used by the city in the past, Wilson said.
Councilwoman Aditi Bussells said the rebrand is “so much more than a logo” and will help the city better publicize its work.
“We don’t sell our city in the way it deserves, and we often sell ourselves really short,” Bussells said.
The crowds on Main Street for the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team parade on April 14 demonstrate the potential appeal Columbia could have in drawing visitors, Bussells said.
“I really truly believe that Columbia can be a destination that people choose over other places,” she said. “This is just the beginning in terms of us having a more cohesive, prideful voice that really talks about all of the great things that are happening, but also in terms of our work, to be more transparent and give you all a more positive experience as it comes with engaging with the city.”
Wilson said city employees will undergo training to use the new logo and brand standards in the coming weeks. The city will be emphasizing themes of community, pride and opportunity, she said.
“We’ve been the best-kept secret, but no more of that,” Wilson said. “We are embracing who we are as a capital city, a university town, full of wonderful entrepreneurial spirit and businesses.”
Bussells said that inconsistent branding and messaging was one of the first things she noticed after joining the council in 2021.
The inconsistency is in part because the city has a mixed bag of identities — the capital city, a university town, a riverfront downtown, a hub for creatives.
And while the brand guidelines stop short of endorsing a slogan or leaning on one identity over another, they will provide the city new and more consistent messaging, Bussells said.
The Greenville-based Crawford Agency has been working on the new logo and guidelines for the past year.
