Did DeKalb County taxpayers get their money's worth with the new Memorial Drive East logo unveiled last month by Commissioner Steve Bradshaw?
The logo unveiled at the final meeting of a Memorial Drive Community Rebranding Initiative was created by an Atlanta architectural firm that was awarded a $102,400 contract more than one year ago.
However, the logo is hardly original. Almost identical logos are in use by many other organizations. For example:
In fact, one stock agency (VectorStock) offers a standard license for the right to use this logo for $15:
Or, if you're feeling extravagant, another site offers an extended license to use this logo for $80:
Anyone tempted to conclude that the county paid too much for the Memorial Drive logo should remember that the architectural firm's contract also included coming up with a branding phrase (or "word mark" as they called it). Their idea? "Memorial Drive East." Surely, the logo and word mark together were worth $100,000 in tax dollars!
Nor will the architectural firm determine where two "monument" signs will be placed on Memorial Dr. According to a bid document, those locations are "pre-determined" by DeKalb County, a fact not mentioned in last month's online meeting.
