The state of Tennessee is paying $46,000 for a new state logo, reports WSMV-TV, and some are questioning whether that’s money well spent.
“This is something a fifth-grader could easily produce on his or her computer at home,” said Chris Butler, with watchdog.org. (Note: Butler wrote his own article about it, HERE.)
The state paid $46,000 to Nashville advertising and marketing company GS&F to design the new logo.
Gov. Bill Haslam’s office confirmed the logo will replace several others. A spokesman said part of the reason it was necessary was to give the state a unified look. In time, state officials said the logo will be on all signage and letterheads.
Butler said he wonders how much more it will cost to do that and if it’s necessary.
“This is going to be a lot of taxpayer money,” Butler said. “This is going to be a lot of time on behalf of state employees.”
Butler also questioned the simplistic design. He started a contest on his Twitter page saying, “Can your child, 12 or under, who lives TN, design a better state logo?”
“We’re going to give the winning participant a $50 Amazon gift card to see if they could produce something better than what this firm produced,” Butler said.
A spokesperson for the governor’s office said the new logo will be implemented in a cost-effective way. For example, he said when stationery with the old logo runs out, stationary with the new logo will then be used.
—
UPDATE: Further, from the Associated Press:
David Smith, a spokesman for Gov. Bill Haslam, said the new logo is needed to give a more unified look on signs and letterheads. The new logo will be gradually introduced as current stationery runs out.
“We last updated the website in May 2013, so it’s a natural time to make sure it is updated in terms of look, feel and functionality,” Smith said in an email. “For consistency, the visual identity that is part of the redesign of tn.gov will be used throughout state government.”
The governor’s office assembled a chart of more than 70 different logos used by state agencies to show the wide range of branding. Agencies as diverse as the Tennessee Highway Patrol, TennCare and the departments of transportation, education, correction and will soon start using a variation of the new logo.
The Tennessee state seal and flag will remain in use for official purposes, Smith said.