MMA webinar shares tips for building a municipal brand

An MMA webinar offered insights and discussed challenges related to developing and using a new municipal brand. Panelists included (clockwise from top left) Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove, Former Amesbury Communications Director Caitlin Thayer, John Magnifico, owner of Magnifico Design and Easton Assistant Town Administrator Sean Dugan.

An MMA webinar today offered insights and discussed challenges related to developing and using a new municipal brand.

Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove said the primary benefits of municipal branding are visual identity, team unification, efficiency, and competition.

“Municipalities are inherently siloed organizations with diverse professions operating under one umbrella,” Gove said. “We realized the value and power of looking like a unified team, and streamlining and systemizing our brand achieved that for us.”

Former Amesbury Communications Director Caitlin Thayer shared best practices for brand development and rollout, including a marketing audit and a staff plan for involvement. She said it’s important to set clear guidelines for visual brand versus city seal use.

“In Amesbury, the city seal remains on official documents, such as contracts, proposals, and bills,” Thayer said. “The new, visual brand appears on everything else, like business cards, uniforms and vehicle wraps.”

John Magnifico, owner of Magnifico Design, reviewed the key elements of the design process: discovery, development, and definition. He emphasized the need to involve constituents throughout the process and develop ideas that align with the municipality’s strategic vision.

“In reality, every city or town already has a brand — it’s how people think and speak about your municipality,” Magnifico said. “The role of brand design is to help control that conversation and create a cohesive, meaningful message that attracts residents and businesses to your community.”

Easton Assistant Town Administrator Sean Dugan moderated 30 minutes of questions and answers, addressing inquiries about internal and external pushback, community engagement, and accessible design platforms.

• City of Amesbury brand call for proposals (470K PDF)
• Mastering Municipal Branding: Best Practices and Benefits (7M PDF)