June 30 2005

Dunedin (30 June, 2005) - The City of Dunedin's hinterland, harbour and peninsula have been embraced in a new Council corporate logo launched by Mayor Peter Chin and Dunedin City Council chief executive Jim Harland today.

The new Dunedin City Council corporate logo features a stylised "DCC" and also incorporates imagery of the City's historical role as the gateway to the Otago goldfields. The logo retains the City's traditional blue and gold colours while incorporating a modern tartan effect and highlighting Dunedin's sense of place within New Zealand.

The logo also incorporates for the first time a Maori translation for the Dunedin City Council: Kaunihera-a-rohe o Otepoti. This translation has been agreed following consultation with local Maori.

The new logo was approved by City Councillors more than six months ago but its launch has been timed to ensure it can be introduced at the start of a new financial year using existing budgets in areas such as vehicle signage, stationery and brochures. The logo was designed and implemented by the Council's internal Marketing and Communications Agency, meaning the origination costs have also been carried within existing budgets.

Mayor Chin said the new logo is an innovative design that meets the difficult challenge of encapsulating the Council's vision and purpose within a simple image.

"This is a creative design that captures the energy, professionalism and the vibrancy of the Dunedin City Council," Mayor Chin said.

Chief Executive Jim Harland said the new logo encompasses the family of activities that make up the Dunedin City Council and will allow residents and ratepayers to more easily identify with the services provided by their Council.

"The new logo is much more versatile than the one we are currently using. It is a strong symbol of our organisation and one that we are already proud of," he said.

Mr Harland noted the logo would be implemented across the Council over time to ensure there were no additional costs for residents and ratepayers.

"The new logo and branding will be seen immediately in some areas, like on our website and our vehicles, but in other areas like some of our brochures it will be introduced over time as we exhaust existing stocks," he said.

Mark Reynolds, manager of the Council's Marketing and Communications Agency said the Council has been running down some stocks of stationery and publications over the past six months to ensure the logo could be introduced as quickly as possible without wasting any existing material.

Mr Reynolds also noted that in some areas the new logo would actually result in cost savings. For example, the new logo cost about half as much to put on a vehicle as the existing logo, and new signs were needed for Council vehicles approximately every three years.

"In designing this logo we consulted with various parties, both inside Council and externally, and I believe we have delivered a logo that captures the positive essence of what the Dunedin City Council is about. That's certainly the feedback we have had so far," he said.

About the DCC Logo

*A stylised DCC was retained using the new blue and gold combination

*Geographically the 'D' can be seen to represent the peninsula and the 'C' the City and hinterland with the harbour meandering between

*The 'D' and 'C' represent outstretched arms and protection of precious resources

*The gold 'C' symbolises the Council's role in leading the City and the City's historical role as gateway to the Otago goldfields.

*A tartan look is suggested by the overlapping of the 'C' with the 'C' and 'D'

*The complete logo can be seen to represent a stylised graphic of New Zealand with the gold 'C' highlighting Dunedin's sense of place

ENDS

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