Item Description:
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Neg Agmt with Little & Company to advance Hennepin County’s brand, DOE-05/31/25, NTE $500,000
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Resolution:
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BE IT RESOLVED, that the County Administrator be authorized to negotiate an agreement with Little & Company to advance Hennepin County’s brand system and bolster brand alignment across a variety of channels and points of service, from the date of execution through May 31, 2025 in an amount not to exceed $500,000; that following review and approval by the County Attorney’s Office, the Chair of the Board be authorized to sign the agreement on behalf of the County; and that the Controller be authorized to disburse funds as directed.
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Background:
Through a competitive RFP process, Hennepin County sought and selected an agency partner to advance our organization’s brand identity, strategy and guidance. The year-long effort will build on the foundations of the county’s 2016 brand update and will align brand experience across program promotion, physical properties and county owned channels.
In partnership with Hennepin County Communications, and in concert with organizational stakeholders, the brand advancement work will revisit and appropriately revise the county’s nearly 8-year-old brand guidance. It will update brand positioning and messaging as well as refresh brand identity elements where appropriate including style, font, logo, iconography, illustration and color use. It will direct and develop compelling and consistent brand direction for the future HennepinCounty.gov website and other digital media properties. It will set foundational campaign creative direction including brand promise and design fundamentals that are adaptable to a diverse mix of programs and services. It will make a judicious exploration of evolving the Hennepin County main H logo identity and uncover alignment approaches for Hennepin County and updated Minnesota marks such as the state seal. Lastly, the partnership will support rollout of the updated brand across the organization.
Little & Company was selected for the quality of their proposal, the strength of their expertise, the depth and capacity of their team, their stated approach to their work, and their highly relevant experience in advancing institutional brands for such familiar public entities as the State of Minnesota and the Minnesota Historical Society.
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Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval