1.Purpose and Background
The County of Hudson, situated in northeastern New Jersey in the gateway region, serves a diverse rapidly growing population of approximately 700,000 individuals. Families from practically every corner of the earth call Hudson County home. Hudson County is known as the “Gateway to America.” The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island sit adjacent to the shores of Jersey City. People who live in Hudson County take great pride in their community, and their County govermnent shares that sentiment.
The goal of Hudson County government is to provide the best possible constituent services and to create opportunities so that every resident can prosper. We believe in accountability, transparency and participation.
The hallmarks of Hudson County government are professionalism, a uniform sense of purpose, and consistency. It is critical for the County to convey these objectives to its constituents. To better achieve this and better serve our residents, the County of Hudson is seeking a qualified and experienced firm to design and create a brand identity for the County. The successful respondent will have a proven track record of implementing a government brand strategy that provides a cohesive, recognizable and relatable brand representing Hudson County government to the constituents we serve.
Hudson County government consists of nine executive departments containing more the 35 unique Divisions and Offices that provide a variety of services, functions and assistance throughout the County. The County currently lacks a comprehensive brand strategy to provide cohesiveness in messaging across all Departments. The County is seeking assistance in creating a brand strategy to implement across the County in a way that residents can easily identify services and get assistance. The County also holds many ethnic and cultural celebrations, concerts and other events that make us a wonderful place to work, play and raise a family. Hudson County’s brand identity will be used at these events as well.
In lieu of a comprehensive brand approach, the County relies on utilizing a County Seal, colors, and a bumper on products to promote some degree of unifonnity. Due to the lack of an overall brand, these components are at times lacking unifonnity on materials across the County and convey disunity and the lack of a common sense of purpose and voice.
Hudson County seeks a vendor who understands local government and the unique needs of the residents we serve. We aim to establish a strategic partnership that guides us toward our present goals and offers sustained support throughout the research, evaluation and design process.
2.Goals and Objectives
Engage in the development of a forward-looking brand identity that includes a color palette, logo, and brand narrative, and suggested tagline(s). This iterative process will capture the essence of Hudson County and invite users to engage with Hudson County government through clear, consistent and visually engaging means.
• Uniformity -The brand should convey a common message with a cohesive visual style and recognizable properties.
• Endorsement -Authentic and resonate with citizens, businesses, and community groups. The successful respondent will have a meaningful understanding of Hudson County and core mission to serve residents
• Diversity -The brand must represent the diverse group of citizens, neighborhood and community groups across all 12 of Hudson County’s municipalities.
3.Research
Develop an understanding of the key themes of Hudson County government and the community we serve; the project should complement our County’s mission, vision, and values, and encourage transparency and paiiicipation.
• Expectation that reseai·ch will be the basis for developing the brand concept, defining the elements of the brand initiative.
• This may include engagement with the County design team, elected and appointed officials, members of the community and other key stakeholders and surveys.
• Examination and aimlysis of other successful brand strategies employed by neighboring counties, municipalities, and other locales in the United States.
• Consideration of existing County seals and colors.
4. Brand Identity Design
• Logo Design -Creation of new County primary logo, along with any secondary vairiations ( e.g., horizontal, vertical, or icon versions).
o This includes alternative color variations and transparency options for different use cases.
• Consideration for a variety of uses:
o Print and electronic advertising
o Media placement
o Public relations
o Events
o Templates
o County Websites
o Social Media templates
o Signage
o All County brand opportunities
5.Brand Guidelines/Deliverables
• Brand Manual/Brand Style Guide -A guide detailing how to properly use all brand assets, including logos, colors, and fonts, as well as the brand’s intended message. In addition, the vendor should provide examples and ideas of the type of images and subjects that should be utilized to represent the Hudson County brand
• Color Palette -A complete set of brand colors and their variations, with specifications for both digital and print formats.
• Typography -Selecting fonts and creating a style guide for both print and online materials.
• Brand Patterns and Graphics -Additional design elements like patterns, icons, or motifs that complement the overall brand.
• Brand Blueprint -Document that provides a strategic framework that Hudson County and key partners to project and deliver the Hudson County brand. Strategy outlines how the brand should be adapted for presentation to specific target audiences.
6.File Outputs, Ownership, Accessibility Considerations
• File outputs in multiple fonnats that are compatible with the most recent version of the Adobe Software Suite including, but not limited to .png, .psd, .ai, .pdf, .jpeg
o Versions optimized for website use.
o Ability to compress to less than 1 0mb while maintaining high resolution (native files should not be held to this restriction).
• Scalability for use in banners, parks signs, uniforms, shirts and other mediums.
• Transfer of exclusive ownership of all material and files to County of Hudson upon completion.
• Retain access to the file in editable format for any future alterations at the County discretion.
• All graphics should meet acceptable accessibility requirements for digital and print use.
• Meet compliance for all accessibility considerations (WCAG 2.1 AA).
7.Experience Requirements
• Past experience creating comprehensive government entity branding for at least three (3) governmental entities.
• At least one organization with a population of at least 100,000 people.
• Understanding communication through branding to our diverse population.
8.Expectations
In-person meetings virtual Meetings -The contractor will be required to meet regularly with the County’s project manager and/or representatives to discuss and plan the project. The County will assist with the set-up of these meetings and utilize a point person to make the most efficient use of time.
Detailed timeline -Hudson County is open to a reasonably created timeline structured in phases but expects a detailed plan of action and timeline that includes the staff responsible for each element in each phase of the project in the example outlined below:
Phase 1 -Preliminary Needs Assessment
Phase 2 -Conceptual Design of Recommendations
Phase 3 -Iterative Development Phase
Phase 4 -Review and implementation of final deliverables
Completion of the final deliverables should be within eight (8) months from the start of the contract.
Due Date: March 4, 2025 at 11:00a.m.
Contact: Christine Moro guestions.purchasing@hcni.us 201-795-6280
