St. Albert will soon be known as the place to come and cultivate life.
After two years of planning and research, the city's new “cultivate life” brand was unveiled to council Monday night.
According to Rob LeLacheur, chairman of the St. Albert brand leadership team, the city will be known as Alberta's botanic arts capital to go along with the cultivating slogan.
The botanical brand resulted from an in-depth analysis of what exactly St. Albert is about, and what sets it apart from other communities.
LeLacheur said the cultivate life message encourages residents to grow in areas that are important to them, whether it be with gardening, artistry or athletics.
“It is everything we are working to be, but it also captures what we are,” said LeLacheur. “There is a very meaningful theme behind it.”
Much of the study was co-ordinated by Roger Brooks of Destination Developments International — a company that has worked with more than 800 communities across North America.
After several visits to St. Albert, and meetings with the public and stakeholders, the company recommended the city become known as a centre for the botanical arts with a strong focus on becoming a place where people can cultivate their lives.
DDI explored several other brand concepts, such as Alberta's Artisans Community, Alberta's Finest Recreational Community and the Sports Capital of Alberta, but found they weren't entirely unique.
The new logo and branding won't exactly appear overnight.
Some elements, such as letterheads and business cards, will adapt the changes almost immediately, while infrastructure, such as signage and logos on city vehicles, could take several years to see the new brand.
A final tally of the estimated costs of the new branding and logos has yet to be completed.
“I think the key thing is to not go out tomorrow and spend a whole bunch of money on things that are working fine,” said city manager Bill Holtby, who estimated it could be five or seven years until the old Sturgeon River-inspired St. Albert logo is wiped out completely.
Members of council gave rave reviews about the branding, and agreed it will be positive for both the public and private sector as it will allow businesses to build a marketing campaign.
“I think the concept is absolutely right on. It has endless possibilities,” said Coun. Carol Watamaniuk. “All the words that are attached to gardening can be used in so many different ways. I think we can portray our city in the way it should be portrayed.”
