COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, April 13, 2026

QUESTION NO. 11

QUESTION: Councillor M. Johansson

To ask the Chief Executive to produce a report on the total cost of the council re-branding?

REPLY:

South Dublin County Council commissioned external brand strategy expertise following an open and competitive procurement process, resulting in the appointment of Image Now Consultants Ltd. The value of this contract was €151,475 (excluding VAT). This decision followed clear evidence that the Council’s existing identity was no longer serving the organisation, staff, or the public effectively.

In advance of this investment, the Council undertook extensive consultation as part of the Corporate Plan development and a wider examination of how SDCC is perceived. Engagement involved more than 1,000 participants drawn from across the county, including residents, elected members, staff, businesses, community and voluntary organisations, the Public Participation Network and a range of national agencies. The feedback was consistent and highlighted several underlying issues.

While people expressed strong attachment to their local communities, many were unclear about the county or local authority area in which they live. There was also limited public understanding of the scale and diversity of services delivered by SDCC, particularly in areas such as libraries, parks, and enterprise supports. At the same time, the Council’s visual identity had become inconsistent and fragmented, weakening recognition and creating challenges in digital and public-facing communications. The colours and design language in use had little relevance to the county itself and no longer reflected how South Dublin has changed.

The outcome of this work is a unified brand strategy and structure that is rooted in research and aligned with the Council’s Corporate Plan. The new approach supports the organisation’s people-first focus, reinforces shared purpose and values, and provides a clearer platform for engaging with residents, partners and staff. It also strengthens SDCC’s ability to present itself as a modern, progressive employer.

A brand team has been established to coordinate the roll out of the Council’s new brand identity and embed it in the Council’s ways of work. The Council’s adopted budget for 2026 provides €150,000 to support the roll-out of the new Council brand including in our parks, on library buildings and community centres so that the public become more aware of the positive contribution made to the county.

It should be noted that this new brand identity replaces multiple stand-alone project identities with a single, coherent master brand. This will reduce future design and website costs while improving transparency, consistency, and accountability for the public. Against the backdrop of an annual revenue budget exceeding €422 million and a capital programme of €1.7 billion, this represents a modest and proportionate investment in improving how the Council communicates and delivers for the people of South Dublin County.