Georges River Council has unveilled its its new logo – the red dragon.
The distinctive red dragon also incorporates elements depicting the Georges River and a Port Jackson fig leaf, in acknowledgment of the area’s rich Aboriginal heritage.
Following amalgamation, Georges River Council was required to develop and implement a new logo and brand in consultation with the community that best reflected the new council and its locality.
Georges River Council Administrator John Rayner said, establishing a new council is more than just merging and improving services but also about defining the area’s identity.
“We wanted to create a brand that the community could readily identify with and support, so the final design needed to be strongly informed by community consultation,” he said.
Three logos were created in-house named The Dragon, The Mosaic and The Shield.
Elton Consulting was engaged as the independent facilitator to undertake community consultation to give residents the opportunity to provide feedback on the three options.
Community consultation was both face-to-face and via an online survey. The council also wrote to all local schools, local MPs and community groups for their opinion.
A total of 693 people had their say of which 56 per cent preferred the Dragon, 30 per cent the Mosaic and 15 per cent The Shield.
The majority of people preferred the dragon design because of its “perceived meaning, diversity, relevance to the local area including connections to St George and the logo’s representation to the community including links to multiculturalism and sport,” a council report said.
Comment on the dragon logo gathered from the community included, “It symbolises life and multiculturalism, which are the best parts of our area”; “It’s strong and distinctive”,
“I’m a St George (Dragons) supporter!”; “Links to St George football and links to Chinese culture”, and “Simple design - not flashy”.
Feedback from the community has since been incorporated by the council’s in-house graphic designer to create a revised dragon design.
“Revisions included changing the direction of the Dragon so it is facing ‘forward’ and looking towards the future,” the council’s report said.
“Council sought advice from a local Aboriginal Elders to improve connection with Aboriginal heritage by introducing the Port Jackson fig tree leaf motif.
“Council also incorporated the striking red colour from the interim Georges River Council logo as this already resonated with the community.”
The definitive feedback led to the formal adoption of the new Dragon logo at the council’s meeting on Monday, April 3.
Mr Rayner said he was pleased with the level of community input the council received both face-to-face and online.
“The process provided people with a genuine opportunity to give us opinions and comments that would help define the identity of the area,” he said.
“We wanted to ensure value for money, and with that in mind, the development of the new logo design options were completed using in-house experts.
“Council’s new logo builds on the interim logo, which has already resonated with people in our community. This means that items with the old logo, like existing stationery, will continue to be utilised to ensure there is no wastage.”
Mr Rayner said the feedback revealed that the dragon design struck a chord for many residents due to its perceived meaning, which is multi-layered.
“The dragon references the legend of Saint George, representing the council’s connection with the wider St George area and its aim to be a positive leader for change, which was well received by survey participants,” he said.
“The Port Jackson fig leaf represents our Indigenous peoples and their connection to country. The forward facing dragon rising up from the fig leaf acknowledges the Aboriginal people as the first people of Australia and recognises that our future is always informed by our past.
“The teal colour represents the Georges River itself, which has always been an integral part of life in the region serving as a food source for traditional owners, a transport route for early industry from the South to the city and a popular social hub for leisure activities.”
The roll-out will occur in stages over a number of years and will be funded within each year’s budget allocations, meaning the new branding will be delivered at relatively minimal cost to residents and ratepayers, Mr Rayner said.
“Part of the cost is covered by the State Government‟s Implementation Grant,” he said.
“Initial areas of focus will include signage on the council facilities and venues, front line staff uniforms and the council’s vehicle fleet.
“Street signs and other signage will occur in a staged manner as new signs are required.”
