The City of Piqua Spends $50,000 to Redefine Itself
Vol. III, No. 139 - A new logo brings more laughs than smiles.
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The City of Piqua’s unveiling of its new brand identity was full of excitement and optimism. Balloons filled the City Commission Chambers, while people gathered to see what civic leaders said was certain to be a turning point for the community. Officials spoke confidently about a future where Piqua’s new logo and tagline would signal progress and pride, tying together city staff and residents with a single look and message. Those in attendance were told that the output was the result of months of surveys, interviews, and collaboration with outside consultants determined to steer Piqua toward its next chapter.
But if we look beyond the fanfare, there is obvious tension grows between how the city sees itself and how others might read this new image. Branding, at its heart, is not about decoration. It is about trust. It is a handshake from the city to everyone who lives, works, or visits. It is a signal of what the community stands for and what newcomers should expect. Done honestly, branding must reflect the community’s story, its values, and its ambitions, not just its hopes or its happiest moments.
The city and their design team worked hard. Officials stressed how the process was slow and thoughtful, gathering input from as many voices as possible. The project cost taxpayers $50,000. The lead strategist described brand development as an exercise in deep listening—one that sampled perspectives through online surveys, workshops, and one-on-one conversations.
The research drilled down into Piqua’s positives, finding that people see it as family-friendly, a classic hometown, a place making visible progress. Residents and business owners talked about Piqua needing to become “a better version of what it is, not something it isn’t.” The message: don’t turn away from Piqua’s roots, improve them. Build on the foundation already here, not a fantasy.
This background is what makes the city’s new brand so puzzling. The logo, now seen on city platforms and soon to appear across signs, uniforms, documents, and vehicles, is based on soft, rounded lowercase letters. The most noticeable change is the “u”: shaped to look like a smile. The argument from city leaders is that this makes the imagery approachable, welcoming, and energetic, fitting a community with “a lot of fun things to do.” The tagline—“It’s happening here”—proudly claims that Piqua is a place in motion. But, when reduce all the the things a city does on a daily basis and centralize all that work on a smile that looks plastic and manufactured, we aren’t intersted in living in a community; we are interested in living in an amusement park.
But the fundamental problem with this logo is that it’s hard to connect it with the very real, often gritty spirit of the city. Piqua is a town with deep industrial roots. For generations, it produced goods, sent trains down steel rails. It’s a town filled with large churches and has a history of cruising teenagers; a unique juxtaposition of redemption and rebellion. The town built its name not with smiles but with sweat, resilience, and the grit of committed people. Even now, it is a place where people work hard to hold together neighborhoods, run local businesses, and keep up the traditions that shaped it.
Against that backdrop, a bright smile as the main logo element feels out of place. The new image might look fun on a playground or a movie-themed event, but it does not grip the seriousness—or even the hope—at the heart of the town’s identity. Imagine the new wordmark on city workers’ uniforms—the people fixing water lines, firefighters, and police. Imagine it on a city bill for someone struggling with utility costs. A manufactured, cheery image does not fit with the tough and compassionate work happening every day throughout the community.
Branding, ultimately, is about reputation—what you have earned, not what you wish you were. The city’s insistence that this new look matches its core values is at odds with a public image that suggests softness and manufactured happiness. If the advice from consultants was to become a better version of what Piqua truly is, it’s fair to wonder if that guidance was followed here.
Like most work out-of-town consultants tend to do, the result feels like it tries to please everyone, but ends up reflecting what the city is not, all at the cost of $50,000. The irony is that $500 spent on a website like Fiverrr or $5,000 for an art scholarship to a deserving student could have rendered a product more inline with what the Piqua community truly is.
The challenge ahead is not just rolling out a new logo, but listening again to the community’s real voice—and ensuring the city’s image finally matches its spirit, history, and earned identity.
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