So you’re a small city looking to re-brand yourself. You want to attract young vibrant people and businesses. You settle on the idea that you are a creative hub.
All very sensible.
But then when you are looking to generate creative executions that prove just how creative your city is, you decide that there is no firm in your city creative enough to do it. So you hire a company 1,066 miles away.
Of course it all proves worthwhile when they present a branding platform that proves how creative your capital city is because the tagline literally says “Creative capital.”
And then the creative executions deliver on the brilliant insight that the city’s name begins with—wait for it—a letter! A capital letter! Huzzah!
(If by now you haven’t picked up my bitter sarcasm you may want to see a doctor.)
As a tax payer, I am annoyed that I have contributed a dime to such a preposterous effort.
As an employee at a communications firm that prides itself on our creativity, oh, and that happens to be directly across the street from City Hall, I am downright offended.
Where to start?
You want a fresh original way to promote your city? Don’t hire a firm that churns out buzz-word blather: “brand armature,” “Community Brand Prints,” “BrandAMP (Action Management Plan)” and cookie-cutter creative for municipalities.
You want to demonstrate your creativity? Show it don’t say it. If you want to show that you’re trustworthy, you don’t say “Trust me.”
You want your city’s inherent creativity to generate economic activity? Why on earth would you ignore the dozens of design and advertising firms in your own zip code and send a check to Tennessee?
If you want to get as mad as I am, really let yourself soak in the details of the program: the oh-so-clever “triple entendre” at the heart of the tagline, the proposal to have chefs make food in the shape of a “P”(!), the bizarre poster concepts that simply look like pretentious parking signs.
OK. Deep breath. Am I over-reacting?
Over-reacting…. Hell no.
The whole program is about as useful as tits on a bull.
Design is about solving genuine problems with clear objectives. All this is doing is creating more problems.
It is nice to see one of our local ‘brains’ smart enough to recognize this.
Cheers.
Ninedot
This might be funny if weren’t true.
Definitely not over-reacting. If anything called for some righteous indignation, this is it.
Remarkable particularly when I consider that after twelve years working in NYC, the experience of shopping for creative talent in Providence blew me away. This area is truly a buyer’s market. Even ignoring local boosterism (which of course is the whole point) it’s pretty hard to imagine looking any farther than, say, a smaller p like Pawtucket.
Haha.
So with you on that.
You aren’t over-reacting. It’s pretty hideous.
If you want your city’s branding to represent your city, said branding shouldn’t be designed for the national convention-goers you are trying so hard to attract. You should really start by looking to the people that make your city what it is.
In this case, the people that make Providence what it is are the people who think this branding campaign is bogus and insulting.
It’s like a bad caricature.
Creative Providence?
Really? All you came up with was a “P” ???
Awesome.
That P looks like a cross between a shark and an e. Also, Providence has had its moments but there`s a difference between being the “Creative Capital” and having creativity as your only resource. I believe there was a time when the local artists were more involved in the infrastructure of the city. We need more of this. If we are going to be exploited lets at least make sure it`s not done poorly.
It’s cool if you guys don’t like it, but know that while some research was done by a TN firm, all of the extrapolation of that research into concepts and design and all the creative was done locally by designers (a couple I know you guys would know if I dropped the names). So just remember that when you are flaming about the design and the execution, it’s not a TN firm you are flaming…it’s a couple local designers well respected and who care very much about this project.
Thanks Melissa. I think it’s worth noting that Lizzi didn’t say anything negative at all about the design – or the artists featured. (I was personally thrilled to learn that some local folks I really respect were behind the banners. And it also explained why that work was so much nicer than the examples on the TN agency’s site.)
But that really isn’t the issue. It’s more that the strategy behind the effort is so shallow, obvious—and frankly—not creative. That is then combined with the added insulting hypocrisy that comes from implication that none of us within “The Creative Capital” would have been capable of coming up with it.
That being said, we are huge fans of the idea of promoting this little city’s disproportionate creativity. We just think it could be done more, well, creatively.
Hey, don’t we all wish we could move our municipal and government clients into truly transformative directions! Having been both client and vendor on gov’t projects, I know intimately the challenges of that process (I had many great ideas brought to me that I ultimately could not sell internally to the gov’t agency overlords who control the spending). The other challenge the city of providence has is that people who actually have and spend money downtown are 35-70 yrs. old. My hunch is that they actually might like the “P” posters. That said, I am impressed at how aroused everyone got about this. It tells me that we all love our city and feel deeply connected to it’s success (or failure). I just sometimes wish we treated each other a little less roughly in our critiques–my fear is that it adds to our cynicism load, which is already a bit burdensome.
This city needs fresh, unbiased perspective. Especially when we are trying to attract people from outside the city and state. So I disagree that having an outsider perform research is not cost-effective and in the best interest of the city. Especially if much of the end product is getting produced and approved locally.
This P may not be extremely original or inspiring to locals – but locals know what Providence is all about. The messaging is not going to change this city. Honestly – more of the real branding is occuring at RISD, RI Nexus, IDSA-RI, AS220, and the multitude of other organizations and people that are doing great things, building community and generating Buzz outside of the state.
The P is not going to make the City better – it is the people continuing to be great, interesting, vocal, creative. That is the ultimate promotion of Providence to the outside world.
And it is dialogue like this that makes Providence great. Keep venting and stirring the pot!
Hello all,
I’m Rhoades Alderson, Mayor Cicilline’s communications director, and just wanted to add a little to the conversation. I know and respect Nail’s work and have even been to the offices that are indeed right across from City Hall. A few of things that might be helpful for the discussion:
First, the Providence Tourism Council, which is kind of a quasi-City agency, funded and ran the process at the request of the Mayor. I was part of a team they put together to oversee the effort. Government generally can’t just hire someone; it has to put out a request for qualifications/proposals/etc. The PTC did that. It was only for the strategy piece. And, if memory serves, only two or three Providence firms submitted bids. One became a finalist and gave a great presentation.
Second, as you all know, a critical part of arriving at a great strategy is rigorous and obejective research. All of us who love our city probably have strong opinions about the perceptions that others have of us and the points of pride for those of us who live here. But unfortunately, that clouds our objectivity. In this sense it was an advantage to have a firm from far away.
Third, I would just remind everyone how unbelieveably diverse our city and its stakeholders are. Every one of them feels extraordinarily passionately about “their” Providence. Think about the retiree who’s lived on the Hill all her life vs. the second-generation Dominican family vs. the downtown entrepreneur. Then think how cool it is that all of those groups basically agree that creativity is in the DNA of this place. Of course, they all have slightly different interpretations of what that means.
Last, as has been pointed out, a great local firm has been involved since the strategy was done to execute the concept and they have been tremendous.
Just thought those things could help serve the conversation no matter where you come down on the execution.
Best,
Rhoades Alderson
Hey admin, you wouldn’t call mocking the central theme (“P”) and “bizarre poster concepts that simply look like pretentious parking signs” saying anything negative about the design?
It’s not my favorite campaign, but I think it’s admirable the direction they’ve gone with it. I’m a bit saddened to read all of this.
well, at least the website was done local:
http://www.creativeprovidence.org/
The fact that there is so much dialogue on this topic, is in itself a great sign. Critiques by their very nature, force those involved to choose sides and that’s a good thing. If work this important to Providence was introduced without any commentary from those with an emotional or financial stake in the matter, we all should have asked ourselves why we are working in our current professions. It’s our responsibility as designers and citizens to voice our opinions about the goings-on in our tiny little state and also work towards achieving our shared interests.
My 2¢
Can we be CREATIVE and not have to say it? Your damn right we can. Also, sometimes a treatment like the P with constantly changing content, can say EVERYTHING and NOTHING at the same time (if that makes any sense). Obama’s camp came very close to choosing a similar execution before deciding on their final mark, which just tells a simple story.
That being said, I’m all about showing local business some love… and I really hope to see more of it in the near future.
Great lively discussion. I’m impressed, keep up the good work. The discussion has me wondering about other organizations in the city. PWCVB, Providence Foundation come to mind (Were these campaigns developed locally?) but the list could go and on and on. They are all doing incredibly great work for our city / state but are they shopping locally for campaigns / design etc??
There is a great campaign coming from the Office of Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth H. Roberts maybe you should bring your discussion to their attention.
The Buy Local RI Communications Committee will be meeting Monday, March 2nd, from 3:00-4:30 p.m. at the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp. to discuss the winner of the Buy Local RI Logo design contest and begin scoping the development of the Buy Local RI website.
The Buy Local RI Finance & Governance Committee will be meeting Thursday, March 5th, from 8:30-10:00 a.m. in Room 38 of the Rhode Island State House. The Committee will be focusing on membership issues and will explore some fundraising options.
Herb Weiss from the City of Pawtucket has also asked me to let the Buy Local RI group know that Rhode Island Capital TV (Cable Ch. 15 or Ch. 34) will be airing a feature called “Pawtucket Rising” this month, beginning this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. The feature helps to underscore the possibilities that the Arts and Buy Local RI hold for our economic future.
Anyways, OOP! is located at 220 Westminster st. Anyone need a gift?
I’m not a designer and don’t work for the city, but the Tennessee agency behind the “P” campaign seems pretty terrible by all accounts. While taking a look at their portfolio of other municipalities my girlfriend remarked, “It’s so depressing to see our city’s name in such an ugly font, surrounded by clip art” — and next to all these crappy towns — “when it’s so much more than that!”
It’s hard for me to imagine what kind of research a Tennessee firm could do on Providence that would be considered valuable. According to their site, “North Star research found that just as original thinking and flexibility are watchwords of the Providence spirit, so must they be cornerstones of the Providence brand.” Really.
Finally, did you see their campaign for Columbus, Indiana? Check out the “C” … and their “C” playground! Then click over to Providence’s “Brand Action” items: “Creativity and play go hand in hand. Celebrate the power of play and its relationship to the creativity of Providence with a “P” Playground.”
In my initial post I should have been more constructive. Certainly meant not to start a negative flame around this post. I have the highest regards for the local design group that is behind the effort.
With that said I agree with admin…’the strategy behind the effort is so shallow’.
Ok, I am on board with “Creative Capital”
It isn’t bad. It has some grounds in reality, it positions Providence
positively and helps overcome some negatives (small, corrupt, lacks
an international airport) in a way that a company or a business expansion can sell internally. The problem I see is that this campaign doesn’t invite collaboration to allow Providence to share its creativity.
Maybe this is to come and I am just having a bad day.
Keep smiling
Hi there,
My colleague Rhoades Alderson posted on Friday. I just want to follow up as I am also involved in this process as the Director of Art, Culture + Tourism for the City. I graduated from RISD in 1987 and have worked for the city for 11 years which means I have been around a while. I want to further clarify some things. One, the choice of the firm was done professionally and with a traditional RFP process. We did have local firms apply. The work at the time, was grounded in tourism and destination strategies. While there was MUCH discussion about the quality of the Northstar’s Design work, which many of us felt was inconsistent with the great local talent here, we felt that their experience in destination research was superior to all of the firms that had submitted proposals. (These firms include some hot shot EXPENSIVE New York firms as well as terrific local companies.) We were uncomfortable with Northstar’s design standards and that is why even they suggested hiring local on the design. And that is what we did. (Just to clarify – The Providence Tourism Council is funded by bed tax dollars – not income or sales tax.)
We hired Schwa to implement the strategies that you see emerging. All the work you are seeing is designed by local artists, local designers, and being printed by local folks. The BUY ART campaign of our office is part of all this. We have also worked very hard to align the marketing strategies of the Providence/Warwick Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (we even convinced Warwick to join us), the PEDP, the Providence Foundation, and the City. In my long experience with the City this is unprecedented.
Two, CREATIVE PROVIDENCE, a cultural plan for the Creative Sector is not necessarily part of the branding campaign. It embodies the City’s commitment to the creative community and developing it’s current assets. In 2007, my Department worked with the national organization Americans for the Arts to complete and economic impact study on the non-profit arts & cultural sector. This study demonstrated that our non-profit sector made a 111.8 million dollar impact on our community on a regular basis. This study confirmed that arts and culture are not just an amenity in our city but a economic generator, supporting close to 3,000 jobs on an annual basis. The cultural planning process began in September and continues in March with a launch on Tuesday night. We have been promoting these events through our newsletter. Articles in PBN and the Providence Journal last fall supported this work. I invite all of you to join us, particularly this Wednesday night 3/4 from 5:30-8:30pm at Durkee, Brown, Werenfels and Vivieros when local architect, Charlie Cannon will lead a panel discussion about the creating a positive environment for creative businesses to thrive. He will be joined by Rebecca Blunk of NE Foundation for the Arts and Jack Templin of Providence Geeks. Following the discussion you will be asked to help shape the strategies to ensure the continued development of creative business in Providence. I hope to see many of the folks who have commented on this there. We really need your input and great ideas.
My last comment has to do with coming together. As a RISD alum I know how incredibly critical artists and designers can be. Hell, that’s what we are paid to do – turn things upside down, ask hard questions, push the envelope. Many of you have perhaps read the article that was in the NY Times over the weekend regarding our little state’s inability to figure out where it is going economically. In my opinion our creative community is the answer to our economic woes. We can reinvent our economic development strategies for the next 20 years, but the reality is that it is our creative community is the heart and soul of our city. My call to action is that we get over this conversation. We are building a campaign that celebrates our city’s creativity. Sure there are issues with the banners, they don’t look as good hanging on the poles as they did on the floor in my office, but the bottom line is we have an opportunity to daylight our work like never before. I hope you can join us on Wednesday and take part in the conversation and the plan. If we are truly going to transform this place we all love we need to move forward together.
Thanks for reading this long post. I hope you will understand my comments are sincere. I totally appreciate all the work of everyone who has commented and hope you will bring your critical and creative problem solving to the table this week.
My my… strong feelings all around.
Being a citizen of RI and being a practicing design professional I can see opinions for and against this campaign. I personally and professionally want this to succeed and be a call-to-action for all creative professionals to participate, contribute and expand – not criticize and dismiss. These type of government supported campaigns are normally not as well thought out or developed as this and you are just beginning to see the rumblings of possibly a very long and socially-rewarding campaign that will bring further awareness to an already strong creative community. And they are asking ALL to contribute – there is no “end-point” in this campaign and it evolves as people start contributing. It is a shame that some feel left out when this is not the case by any means. Contribute what you think the campaign would benefit from: see something missing, suggest it to them and see the results. YOU maybe called on to contribute and wouldn’t it be great to do so? If you participate, you’re never left out – and I’m pretty certain the door is going to be open for anyone to do so.
The posters and banners in the city highlight local artists and there will be more. To dismiss the entire effort as waste of time and taxpayer money is very premature. I’ve lived my whole life in RI and seen some lackluster efforts that suffered because of not inviting the local creative community to contribute. Now, there is concerted effort to include you and everyone reading this blog to participate and I hope you see and take the opportunity – the creative community may not be invited to the table next time.
For all of those who have made a post, check out tomorrow and Wednesday nights public events for further discussion on these efforts, http://www.creativeprovidence.org/
I urge you all to attend and voice your perspectives.
Thanks
Mark
I’ve been taking the triple entendre to the next level (yes…quadruple entendre) by whizzing giant letter “P”s in the snowbanks. Get it?
as a follow up to Lynn McCormack’s post….”We were uncomfortable with Northstar’s design standards and that is why even they suggested hiring local on the design. And that is what we did. We hired Schwa to implement the strategies that you see emerging.”
When Lynn mentioned…….hired this design company to implement he strategies, why wasn’t this part of the project also posted as a traditional RFP as well? And does anyone have knowledge of who was on the RFP selection committee? As mentioned, the Providence Tourism Council was not the only group in charge of these important decisions. It would be enlightening for all to understand who the judges or the selection members were so you know what you could be up against for the next round .Transparency is good, so they say…
so, can we now remove the INDIA POINT PARK BRIDGE text too ? embarrassing
The RFP process here and nationally is a pitiful process that rewards conservative values and suppresses innovation in all forms of public projects. I understand why it was created– to eliminate cronyism and establish a fair playing field– but it now rewards the selection of generic and innocuous firms who have a long history of the same safe projects and makes it almost impossible for new or smaller firms to compete. The competition system in Europe isn’t perfect either, but it at least offers the chance for young designers to make their way in and, once selected, partner with bigger firms who have experience to produce the work. We newer designers could partner with bigger firms here in the RFP process, except they have no need for us when they can get the projects themselves and more easily by showing bland work. That’s why we end up with boring TN firms or Sasaki or VHB, yawn… (This comes from inside experience too– years ago, I worked for the City & County of San Francisco.)
I have also wondered here how certain RFPs are distributed. Sometimes we hear about stuff, sometimes we don’t. Is there a central (online) way public and private (foundations, institutes, non-profits) requests for design services could be posted? It’s hard to compete for things when you don’t even know they are going on. It makes it feel like things are manipulated by only distributing them last minute or only to certain firms limiting the pool of applicants. The number of times I have found out after the fact… or with three days notice…
And yeah, those horrid India Point Bridge letters need be changed immediately… who DID that?
Maia – There is a “central” place to find out about the RFP’s but I don’t think it works…. I spent HOURS filing with the state to be recognized as 100% women owned business, hours getting CCR Certified, we have a DUNS number associated to NAICS codes listing our services…. We were not notified of this RFP! I have no idea what else to do to be privy to these RFP’s!
If I am driving around Providence’s narrow streets and dizzying boulevards and I see a “P” sign on a lamp post I am thinking,”Why did Providence spend so much money making creative parking garage signs? I’m happy with a typical blue sign.”
Then I will suddenly feel the desperate need to go to the bathroom.
so how did all of this pan out?
did the commenters go to the event as requested?
was anything about the campaign changed due to this post and its after effects?
and…is there a central location/way to find out about RFPs?
For over 10 years the City of Pawtucket has worked to make its community a home to artists and creative sector companies. We keep moving forward,one step at a time. As to our slogan, “Pawtucket: Rhode Island’s Creative Community,” it was created during a conversation I had with Bob Billington, President of the BVTC. No focus groups and at no cost to our City. I have no problem with Providence being the “Creative Capitol” because it is our state capitol. But Pawtucket is also branding its self as creative because we have hundreds of working artists in our mills. Actually, we should have a slogan, Rhode Island: The Creative State, because we have 9 Arts and Entertainment Districts throughout the state. So creativity abounds in Rhode Island, not within boundaries of one or more communities. Herb Weiss, Economic & Cultural Affairs Officer, City of Pawtucket