Cheltenham Township, an older suburb bordering on Philadelphia, spent $25,000 on new branding.
While some residents are pleased with the results, others cried foul, taking to Facebook to vent their ire.
“Looks like the Cracker Barrel logo/rebranding debacle,” Lisa Dalton-Hinchcliff posted.
“I haven’t been this excited since ‘New Coke’ back in the day,” quipped Mark Rosser.
At the Board of Commissioners’ October 2025 Public Affairs Committee meeting, one resident noted that the new logo would have been “a great opportunity for resident engagement,” noting that it could be coupled with a new “serious” economic plan for the township.
Commissioner Irv Brockington asked whether they had requested that their residents “get involved with this at all.”
Public Affairs Officer Lauren Walter said they didn’t ask the public to weigh in because it would have added to the expense. But they had used information from the township’s 2022 comprehensive resident survey and additional research, she said.
On Facebook, residents asked how the company that designed the logo, LEAP Group (matter), was chosen. Walter told Broad + Liberty that the township sent out a request for proposals last year after first trying a local firm.
Cheltenham budgeted $30,000 for the new brand, so the project came in under budget, Walter noted.
“The township is not immediately buying anything that’s not already slated for purchase or replacement with the new brand. It will appear on signage and vehicles as they are purchased or replaced. The township letterhead is not a supply of paper, but a digital file that can be changed without any cost this year.
“The goal of the project was not a ‘rebrand’, but to establish a unified brand where none existed,” said Walter. Previously, our departments were operating under a number of different logos and images that didn’t relate to each other and didn’t create a unified look to identify Cheltenham. With the Township’s celebrations for historic America 250 year, we felt it was pressing to accomplish this goal for implementation in 2026. The township’s original seal is still part of its identity.”
Lansdale adopted a new “L” logo and slogan in 2012, paying a firm $68,000.
Walter and Taylor Bird, with LEAP, presented three choices to the committee.
Walter said the new logo design signifies water from the township’s streams flowing. A “C” has open space in the center in the shape of a spark, meaning progress. The new tagline is “Rich history. Vibrant future.”
Commissioner Mitchell Zygmund-Felt had worked in advertising and noted that corporations might pay $75,000 or more to create a new logo.
He called the new branding “really well-done.”
Residents responded on a Facebook page run by a town resident.
“What a waste,” said Terry LaBan. “It’s totally generic — could be the logo for anything, or nothing at all. If anything, it looks like a robot claw.”
But Kevin Serowsky said, “I feel truly inspired by the new design. Thank you, Cheltenham, for using my tax dollars for something meaningful.”
Sarah Ferone said, “I bet this logo will grow on residents over time.”
However, she believes the “brand reveal” could have been presented to the public in a better fashion.
“Kudos to (Commissioner) Irv Brockingham for questioning the lack of public involvement,” she said.
Emily Steinberg called the new logo “Worse than pathetic” and an “awful waste of money, beyond mediocre design.” She is “to be very disappointed by the lack of creativity and creative thinking with our elected officials.”
Andrews Benson called the rebrand “pointless.”
Alex Bedenko said, “So, $26,000 spent while we cut services and raise taxes.”
And Rhonda Genzink Isser does not have a problem with the new logo, but argued that the township didn’t do a survey specifically for it.
“I question the expenditure at a time when the township faces financial difficulties…Right now, we need to be funding needs, not wants,” she said.
“Wasting township resources on a rebrand. What for?” asked Jay Greenwald. “Will it bring down our taxes. Will it generate new revenue? Will it provide new services? Any time that employees spent thinking about, working on, or executing this was a waste.”
Linda Stein is a Philadelphia-area journalist.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated to clarify that some comments were posted on a Facebook page run by a Cheltenham Township resident, not the town’s own page.