On the agenda for Monday night’s August 10th Council meeting is the revised Town of Grimsby corporate branding project, including a new logo, the familiar and long-used “Friendly by Nature” tagline, and a supporting visual system.
The original proposal was sent back for more work after significant public pushback and most members of Council expressed concerns with the logo and the “Like no other.” tagline.
The Staff report, available at this link, recommends that Council approve the package as presented, including the following logo design:
Residents were consulted earlier about what Grimsby represents, but the report does not indicate that the revised brandings were shown to the public through another survey, open house, or similar exercise. The final choice was instead narrowed through feedback from Council, the Corporate Leadership Team and the Town’s “Brand Guardians”, whatever that entails.
The recommended logo is certainly better than the one presented in June, but it is also fairly generic and the typeface is weak. The design combines greenery, water, the sun, and grey layers intended to represent the Escarpment and limestone. Without the words “Town of Grimsby” or the tagline, there is little that clearly identifies it as Grimsby rather than another lakeside municipality or tourism organization. It also bears a striking resemblance to the Town of Pelham’s branding, including font selection.
The recommended slogan is “Friendly by Nature,” which received the strongest support from Council. That phrase is not new and has served as Grimsby’s unofficial motto for many years. The report confirms that it remains protected by the Town as an Official Mark.
This branding exercise was budgeted at up to $65,000. The Staff report states that the design and recommendation phase was completed within the approved budget, but does not say exactly how much was spent. Additional roll-out costs could still follow through website changes, stationery, signs, vehicle graphics, promotional material, and other applications.
So, after a branding exercise budgeted at up to $65K, Grimsby residents may end up with a recycled motto the that has been used for years and a generic logo that could belong to almost any lakeside municipality.
There is something of a travelling snake-oil pitch about the municipal branding industry: take familiar ideas, wrap them in a glossy presentation, give every curve and colour a lengthy explanation, and sell them back at significant expense to taxpayers as a new identity.
The question for residents is simple: did Grimsby receive value for money, and is this new branding worth the cost?
Links:
Staff Report – Town of Grimsby Corporate Brand Recommendation
Appendix A – Recommended Corporate Brand Identity
Appendix B – Revised Logo Concept – Alternative Option
Appendix C – Logo As Presented In June 2026 (With Modified Tagline)