Following a competitive RFP process, the Village of Northbrook hired a5 Branding & Digital to develop a new brand for the Village.
A community of 35,000 people on Cook County’s northern edge, Northbrook prides itself on being welcoming and inclusive, and wanted the new brand to reflect the direction of the Village.
In addition to being welcoming, Northbrook offers exceptional schools, outstanding parks and library, and plenty of green space.
To engage the community, we employed one-on-one interviews, conducted focus groups, released an email survey (working with such partners as the library and chamber) and participated in such community events as the local craft beer festival, the farmer’s market and more. To reach the Korean American population, we connected with a consultant in the community and arranged a dinner. To connect with seniors, we ran focus groups at two senior living facilities.
Out of the process we developed brand positioning, key messages, a bundle of taglines and several brand identity concepts. Staff whittled the field to two finalists and we took those to the board for input and approval. Once the brand identity was finalized, we developed signage, a brand standards manual and assisted in the rollout.
The entire process took about six months with a Spring launch.