AKRON, Ohio — Akron officials are turning to the community for help redesigning the city's logo.
As part of the city's bicentennial, Akron is looking for a fresh new look. Akron officials announced it is requesting proposals from firms or individuals who would be willing to take on the task of redesigning the logo. Requests for proposals can be found here.
In addition, the city plans to launch a survey sometime this year to get opinions from Akronites on what they believe the logo should be or what it should include. More details on the survey can be found here.
Starting this month through October, the city will be engaging with the community for ideas.
“Before I even took office, I received many questions about whether we would redesign the city’s Rubberworker logo and I made a commitment to residents that we would design a new logo with community input and engagement at the heart of the process,” said Akron Mayor Shammas Malik. “We’ve put together a committee of diverse and talented individuals to help lead our engagement efforts and choose a firm or artist to ultimately design the next symbol for our city. During our Bicentennial year, we feel this is the right time to engage residents on a logo that best represents us, and we look forward to hearing from residents about what that image should look like.”
Members leading the effort include:
- Dara Harper, Owner & Creative Director, Art Only Boutique
- Gregg Mervis, President & CEO, Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Hsa Win, Lead Community Health Worker, Asian Services in Action (ASIA)
- Jessica Travis, Member of Akron Public Art Commission and Founder of Inspiring Canvases and Assuage HER
- Katelyn Martin, Student at the University of Akron Myers School of Art
- Mark Greer, Executive Director, Akron 200 Inc.
- Megan Delong, Member of Akron Public Art Commission and Assistant Director - University of Akron's Community Engaged Learning
- Nicole Mullet, Executive Director, Arts Now
- Stephanie Marsh, Director of Communications, City of Akron
- Summer Hall, Cultural Engagement Coordinator, City of Akron
- Tyron Hoisten, Founder, Video 306
“As we begin to rollout our engagement efforts around the city’s next logo, we are starting with a survey to seek input from a wide range of residents,” said Stephanie Marsh, director of communications and committee member. “The survey can be found online in English, Spanish, and Arabic, and it is also being translated into Nepali, Ka’Ren, Pashto, Dari, and Swahili for hard copy format. Additionally, we are making a concerted effort to bring this survey out into the community for those who may not be online and to include members of Akron’s vibrant arts community throughout this process. This is just the beginning of the process, and we’re excited to hear from our community about what the future symbol of Akron should be.”
Additionally, the group is working with Akron Public Schools students to give them an opportunity to try their hand at logo design. The students will each watch a short video explaining the history of the city's symbols and then will have a chance to create their own logo.
The new logo is expected to be unveiled in December.
