The SFMTA (San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency) connects communities and helps you get where you need to go. It provides the backbone for the unique character of the City. As the SFMTA enters its second century, it is no longer just buses, street cars and cable cars. It now includes pedestrians and streetscapes, bicycling, transit, traffic, parking and taxis.

For the first ImproveSF challenge, the SFMTA invites users to leave their mark on San Francisco by working with the SFMTA to co-create a new look for the agency.

Below you will find more information about the challenge including Challenge Overview, Design Brief, About SFMTA, FAQs and Meetups and Questions.

You can also download all of this information in a PDF here.

CHALLENGE OVERVIEW

There are multiple ways for you to participate. This is your SFMTA and your opinion counts!

First: Submit ideas for the new SFMTA logo and color scheme.

If you haven’t already, register on ImproveSF.com. Once you register, you will be able to upload your design, color scheme and tagline. In addition to these materials, you can also submit a mock up of what your design would look like applied to a bus and to letterhead. You can download the templates below.

A successful design will communicate that the SFMTA is a multi-modal transportation system focused on sustainability. Additionally, it will express how the SFMTA plays an essential role in connecting people and communities in this beautiful city.

For more specific details about design suggestions and requirements, see the Design Brief below.

The Prize

The winning design will symbolize the SFMTA of today and the future. It will first be used on all printed and audio visual materials, the Agency website, transit stops and transit facilities. The new design will also appear on the Agency’s fleet of buses, light rail trains and other vehicles as new vehicles are purchased or existing vehicles are rehabilitated.

Note that the cable cars will continue to display their unique livery dating back over the previous century, and the historic F Line streetcars, that came from cities all over the world, will continue the historic color schemes of the transit systems serving those cities.

You will become a part of San Francisco’s history, future, and daily life!

In addition to becoming a part of San Francisco history, the winner will also receive:

• A feature in The Bold Italic


• An invitation to the Winner's Party at The Bold Italic headquarters

Second: View all of the entries and vote for your favorites.

The first round of finalists will be determined by public votes. And those who participate in the voting can earn points for prizes.

Third: Share ImproveSF.com

Help make sure that the new SFMTA represents the unique spirit of San Francisco by sharing the site and ideas with community members and creative friends. The more people that participate, the better!

Important Dates:

• Challenge opens: April 3rd, 2012


• Challenge closes - last day for submissions and voting: May 2nd, 2012


• Judging: May 3rd - May 8th, 2012


• Finalists Announced: May 10th, 2012


• Winner’s Party + Announcement: June 13, 2012

DESIGN BRIEF

Objectives of the Logo Redesign

We are looking for a logo that represents the following:

• SFMTA as a multi-modal transportation agency


• SFMTA as a greener transportation system


• SFMTA as a representation of the unique spirit of San Francisco

When designing the logo, please keep the following characteristics in mind:

• The logo should be timeless as it needs to last well into the next 100 years.


• Still, it should not be static and should express that the SFMTA continues to evolve with San Francisco.


• Since the SFMTA is a transportation agency, the logo could show a sense of movement.


• Feel free to be expressive with color, as San Francisco is surrounded by blue water, clear blue skies and has green space throughout.


• The design should not feel machine-like.

Required Design Elements

The only required element of the design is that it include the "SFMTA" name.

Please do not include any images of transit (tracks, cable cars, buses, etc.), as SFMTA wants to be sure the logo expresses that it is a multi-modal agency.

Target Audience

Keep in mind that the audience of this new logo mark and tagline will be both residents and visitors along with business and civic leaders.

Deliverable and Format

You will need to submit two images consisting of:

• a logo


• a color scheme that features a main color and up to three accent colors

In order to tell the story of your logo, please include a positioning statement or tag line for the SFMTA.

To strengthen your submission, you can apply your design to the bus and stationary templates we have included in the information packet and upload them as images as well.

All images should be submitted as JPGs or PNGs. The file size should not exceed 4MB.

Please do not use any stock images, clip art or any other images that you do not have ownership of in the design.

In order to drive the community to your design, you may also upload a video. A link to your website, portfolio or other work may also be submitted.

ABOUT SFMTA

The Municipal Railway, known universally as Muni, is the oldest, major publicly-own transit system in the United States, dating from December 28, 1912. It is the largest transit system in the Bay Area and seventh largest in the nation, serving more than 200 million customers a year. The Muni fleet is unique and includes: historic streetcars, biodiesel and electric hybrid buses and electric trolley coaches, light rail vehicles, paratransit vehicles, and the world-famous cable cars.

Today Muni is just one part of the multi-modal San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), the city’s mobility manager that operates the entire surface transportation network encompassing pedestrians and streetscapes, bicycling, transit, traffic, parking and taxis. Muni also was one of the first accessible transit systems in the nation providing a range of services to people with disabilities and senior citizens.

The SFMTA workforce of nearly 5,000 reflects the rich diversity of San Francisco and is in motion 24 hours a day, every day of the year, ensuring that the streets of San Francisco are safe and sustainable for current and future generations of residents and visitors. Accordingly, the Agency touches virtually every person who travels about the city.

The Future of SFMTA

The SFMTA is embarking on its second century with a new Strategic Plan that sets forth a vision focused on a more balanced transportation system that reduces congestion and emissions:

San Francisco: Great city, excellent transportation choices.

The plan also defines the mission:

We work together to plan, build, operate, regulate and maintain the transportation network, with our partners, to connect communities.

This mission is driven by Core Values for the city’s transportation network:

• Transit First: Transit, walking, bicycling, taxi, carsharing and ridesharing have the highest priority


• Complete and Green Streets: Streets are designed and managed to be attractive, inviting public spaces for people


• Green, Clean, and Quiet Mobility: Use the greenest, most efficient and quietest technologies available


• Social Equity and Access: Prioritize the most affordable and accessible modes

Learn more about the SFMTA at http://www.sfmta.com.

FAQs

For questions about how the ImproveSF platform works, visit the ImproveSF FAQ page.

Can I participate even if I'm not a professional designer or if I don’t have a design background?

Definitely! We believe everyone has something to contribute and are excited to have a diverse range of ideas submitted. If you don’t feel comfortable submitting an idea, you can also vote for your favorites, leave comments and share ImproveSF with friends.

Additionally, you aren't expected to submit production-level designs but rather concepts. You don't need expensive graphic design tools, you can use markers, crayons, paper cutouts … anything that best conveys your idea. Leave the work to the SFMTA designer to transform your concept into an implementable design. However, you are invited to interact with him through this process.

Why do you want to work with me? What do you mean by "co-create"?

The SFMTA wanted to involve its customers directly in the process of creating its new identity. The SFMTA thought it was important to make it possible for students, freelancers, small businesses, anyone to be a part of the history of this iconic organization. SFMTA is relying on both your ideas and feedback on the ideas of others (through commenting and voting) to help guide the selection of its new look.

Why did you decide to pick this as your first challenge?

When OpenIDEO launched, they asked participants to co-create the organization's logo. The success of this challenge and the range of ideas submitted inspired us. We thought it would be a great way to engage the community immediately. But this is just the first challenge...future challenges include topics like food justice, green assets and neighborhood resiliency. As a matter of fact, if you have a great idea for a future challenge, you can tell us your thoughts here.

Where does the original SFMTA logo come from? Why does the SFMTA logo need to be redesigned?

The original SFMTA logo was designed in house in 2000. Now is the right time to do this as the SFMTA is celebrating the Muni centennial and embarking on a new six-year strategic plan with a new agency leader, Ed Reiskin, Director of Transportation.

Can I submit an idea on behalf of a team?

Absolutely! Please choose one representative to register for the site and be the point of contact. When you submit your idea, be sure to include the names of all team members along with the description of your idea.

Can I submit an idea if I work for the city?

Yes! The goal of ImproveSF is to bring in the best ideas from all members of the San Francisco community to find the best possible solution for the challenge proposed.

What is the best way to get votes?

Submit your idea early! Early submissions will be seen by more people. And of course, share your idea with friends and family using Facebook and Twitter.

Do I have to use the templates?

Not at all, but the templates will help the judges see how your idea translates onto something as big as a bus and as small as letterhead.

Who owns my idea?

All ideas submitted to this challenge will be under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Uported License. Please check our Terms of Use for additional information.

MEETUPS & QUESTIONS

We will be hosting meetups to answer questions you might have about the Challenge. Meetup dates are April 10th, April 16th, April 25th and May 1st, locations are TBD. To get up-to-date info on meetups, challenge annoucements and answers to your questions, follow us on:

Facebook: facebook.com/improvesf

Twitter: @ImproveSF