Metropolitan New York Library Council, aka “METRO”, is seeking a Graphic Design Consultant to collaborate with us on the development of a new visual identity. We anticipate the project will begin Monday, February 26. 

Over the last decade METRO has grown and changed quite a bit, and we continue to plan exciting new initiatives to serve our membership and the field at large. We are looking for a designer who will take the time to understand our unique organization and complex constellation of service offerings, the values and principles that unite and drive all of our work, and the culture we seek to create both internally and throughout our community. With that understanding, we dream of working with a designer who will help us create a fun (but serious), innovative (but practical), flexible (but consistent) image that we can present in all of our communications. We have recently adopted the following statements:

Mission
METRO works to create a sustainable culture of creativity, collaboration, and open exchange for libraries, archives, museums, and cultural institutions in the Metropolitan New York region and around the world.

We accomplish our mission through leadership, grantmaking, resource sharing, professional learning, research, technology services, creative practice, and more.

Vision
We strive toward a world where communities’ aspirations are uplifted in the libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions they build.

METRO is a dynamic assemblage of people, programs, and projects. Our community includes the staff and leadership at leading academic libraries, some of our nation’s largest public libraries, hospital and medical libraries, museums and archives both large and small, and more. Our services are always changing based on institutional needs. Services include a highly valued continuing education program, grantmaking for equity-centered initiatives and digitization projects, institutional sponsorship for an international open source software project as well as a variety of related software services, and a growing research center that is currently focused on digital equity work. They also include a subsidized book delivery service for participating member institutions, regional access to a state funded coordinated collection development program, and regional access to support for hospital and medical library services.

METRO is one of nine regional library councils in New York State. METRO’s immediate service region is New York City and Westchester County, but many of our services are utilized by institutions elsewhere. First chartered by the New York State Board of Regents in the 1960s as the New York Research and Reference Library Agency, METRO has been through many iterations and adaptations as the library and cultural heritage fields have changed. METRO is funded through state aid, membership dues, grants, and other earned revenue.

Methodology
We are open to any process the designer might propose, but we will require that the designer engages with 3 different groups as they do their research and provide concepts:

• All staff (currently 12 people)
• A smaller project committee (3-4 people)
• The Executive Director

Deliverables

• Logo and all related assets in editable formats, e.g. logotype, icons, and other recommendations to ensure a consistent identity across web and print communications
• Color Guide
• Font Guide
• Usage and style guide

METRO will provide a communications audit to the designer so that they can understand the many ways in which we communicate internally and externally.

Please apply by sending a proposal and examples of any prior brand identity or collateral design work to info@metro.org. A strong proposal will outline the designers' research and engagement process with different stakeholder groups. Detail regarding process and any tools that are used during the process is encouraged. We are not looking for strategic advice, we are looking for a visual framework that communicates our mission and vision through our programs and other offerings. The budget for this project is $9000.

ANTICIPATED TIMELINE
Tuesday, January 16: RFP announced
Friday, February 2: Deadline for submissions
February 5-9: Submission review
February 12-15: Interviews
February 19: Choice notified; deadline to agreement March 8
Monday, February 26: Project begins
Friday, March 22: Anticipated project completion

Submit specified application materials to info@metro.org.