Tracy Press

The man who brought us "Think Inside the Triangle" talks about the work and thought behind the city of Tracy's new tag line.

As the column by Sam Matthews (Aug. 9 Tracy Press, Tracing Tracy Territory) points out, there is much history to this whole branding and messaging effort under way in Tracy.

As the communications firm chosen by the city to build its brand base, our efforts are both informed by our expertise in the field and rooted in the city’s unique history and identity.

Our challenge throughout this process has been to remain authentic to Tracy and, at the same time, to be fresh and contemporary, ready for the future. Not easy!

As the process unfolded, the challenge became easier as interview after interview and page after page of research revealed some common themes: the strength of Tracy’s location, its focus on families and its strong sense of tradition. So why not bring it all together in a tagline that is playful and a visual that tells the story of Tracy, all the while utilizing Tracy’s triangles.

As Matthews mentioned in his review, the council will face some decisions about the logo in its next few meetings. While we don’t know what the outcome will be, we look forward to working with the community during this final stage as we solidify Tracy’s brand base. (To see our progress and weigh in, go to www.nappic.com/tracybrand.)

We also wanted to acknowledge Matthews’ correction of the use of "font" verses "typeface" in the City Council meeting presentation and response. The technical description he offered is accurate for traditional definitions of typeface vs. font; however, present-day use of the word font has changed. Font is now commonly used interchangeably with typeface, as manual printing processes have shifted to digital in an era of computers and desktop publishing.

While typeface is the more precise term, font is now used as a metonym for typeface throughout the printing and publishing industries. We could blame software manufacturers for emphasizing the term font over typeface. It probably fits more succinctly in their menu scheme.

At Nappic, we appreciate the more exact terminology, but we must also speak in the language more understood by our clients.

Whatever the final font or typeface chosen by the City Council for its new logo, the message being conveyed should be one that is consistent with the town’s historical identity and yet is contemporary enough to grow with Tracy in the decades to come.

• Steven Napolitan is founder/executive producer of Nappic Inc., a Tracy business hired by the city to do its branding. He proposed the slogan, "Think Inside the Triangle."

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written by Dog , August 20, 2008

Who ever picked "Think Inside the Triangle" might have given it a lot of thought but they didn't bother to listen to the Tracy residents. Most people that I have spoken to do not like the new tag line.

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written by Malcolm , August 20, 2008

Note to Tracy Press:

Tell Nappic to buy some ad space next time.

If they have to work this hard to explain it then I believe it's not worth the fee that was paid.

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written by what? , August 20, 2008

A Triangle? That was as easy as reading a childs shapes book!
That was the common theme for Tracy? Come on!
Laugh all the way to the bank...Hey, when did you build Brent Ives business web site? Your electronic footprint is everywhere on that site!

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written by Malcolm , August 20, 2008

The sole purpose of the branding is a bullet point for IVES campaign, $25K public expense for another two years of IVES? No thanks.

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written by Justin281gt , August 20, 2008

Doing a little polishing here are we Steven? Check it out, "Polish a turd it's still a turd!"

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written by fortheunderdog , August 20, 2008

"Think Inside the Triangle" was penned by many Tracy residents who subscribe to these blogs. I don't think Steven thought all that up by his lonesome. I think Steven may have read a few of the comments posted and took the one that struck his fancy. $25k for what? He practically stole if from the city. Now that I think of it, I think Ives just gave it away.

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written by fortheunderdog , August 20, 2008

Now why would anyone want this man Ives re-elected? Not me. There are a few who will say that I am a Garamendi supporter to which I will answer.........."I AM NOT". But I will not vote for a mayor who, to me, has done an injustice to this city. If, by chance, Garamendi is elected, she will be in a more neutral position than Ives because she hasn't made his kinds of mistakes. If later on it's discovered that she's as bad a city leader as Ives then we vote her out when her term is over or have her recalled if the offense warrants it. So you see, we the public will be in no worse position starting with Garamendi as we would be by re-electing Ives. Simple logic.

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written by Dave Hardesty , August 21, 2008

fortheunderdog

"Simple logic." Flawed but simple.

Can you elaborate on the injustice you feel he (Ives) has done so the rest of us can make up our minds?

Now before you start with a litany of things, make sure you have the facts to back them up completely. Also, you need to remember City Counsel is made up of five people, which includes the mayor.

Dave Hardesty

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written by maybenotdumBcommenT , August 22, 2008

Not a good crowd gatherer. Not catchy.

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written by Tom Benigno , August 23, 2008

Who cares:
It's old news the Ive's camp will soon be leaving Tracy. Just as some others.

t. b

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written by Tom Benigno , August 25, 2008

Who cares:
What's with all the "TRIANGLES" in town? It must have some meaning.



t. b