The farmstead-inspired design of Mississauga City Hall is disappearing from the city’s logo as its iconic mayor prepares to step down and the booming but still youthful community rebrands itself.

“It was time to refresh Mississauga’s logo and develop a new brand for the City,” said city manager Janice Baker after unveiling the new logo at a council meeting Wednesday.

With the city approaching its 40th birthday and Mayor Hazel McCallion about to complete 36 years in office, “a transition in leadership also presents an opportunity to reassess and reaffirm the City’s vision and brand story,” says a staff report that accompanied the unveiling.

The new, more abstract logo, which incorporates an M and sharp angles suggesting dynamism, was designed by city staff.

It “is deeply rooted in the idea of growth,” says the mississaugabrand.ca website. “We are a young City and are on the cusp of something big, of finding our voice, our identity. The open spaces in the design embody the spirit and possibility of a young city that continues to build and shape its story and future.”

McCallion was in Ottawa for a big city mayors’ meeting, but councillors spoke of the rebrand as an opportunity to tell residents, Canada and the world that Mississauga is much more than the once sleepy collection of rural townships that were amalgamated to become Toronto’s largest suburb.

“People forget, we’re a very young city,” said downtown councillor Nando Iannicca. “We’re the next Portland, we’re the next Barcelona. We are the future.”

The new brand strategy focuses on Mississauga as a cutting-edge city where innovative businesses and neighbourhoods continue to merge. Being green, diverse, urban and transit-friendly are some of the key messages.

After decades of sprawling development from the 1970s to the 1990s, Mississauga launched a startling shift toward urbanism in its Downtown 2021 Master Plan. Highrise development has since exploded, along with the creation of new downtown green space, a European-style central square (Mississauga Celebration Square) and plans for a light rail transit system down the city’s Hurontario St. spine.

Councillor George Carlson said that, with political change and the ongoing urban transformation, the city’s goal will ultimately be reached through hard work and a commitment to the vision reflected in the rebranding.

“It puts together all the good work that we’re doing. In terms of a vision or message for the public, it’s nice to have a new, fresh approach.”

Iannicca couldn’t resist puffing out his chest when comparing Mississauga’s brand to that of other cities.

“Dare I say, some older cities tend to look like they're stagnating at times,” he said, adding that with undeveloped tracts still available in the downtown core, along the lakeshore and elsewhere, much of the city still remains a blank canvas for urban-development artistry.

“‘Marilyn’-type projects (a reference to the city’s curvy, award-winning Absolute Towers), walking esplanades, creative spaces and natural spaces” is what the rebrand is all about, he said.

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“We’re more fresh and more vibrant compared to some older cities, be it a Montreal or Toronto.”

Check out the new logo and rebranding strategy at mississaugabrand.ca.

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