Edmonton has a new brand and it's the word 'Edmonton'

The City of Edmonton has a new brand ... and it's the word "EDMONTON."

It's all in caps and punctuated with a small maple leaf at the end. And it only took three years to develop.

"This is our one-word brand," said Brad Ferguson, president and CEO of the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation, as he presented a picture of the so-calledwordmarkto city councillorsTuesday.

The wordmarkis one piece of the redevelopment of Edmonton's overall image, brand and reputation that EEDC has been working on for years. It will be used to promote the city to an international audience.

"There's that familiarization between a nation and a city that have to be connected," Ferguson said.

Mayor Don Ivesonsaid he liked the wordmark, which willbe used to promote the city's economic development.

Ferguson said the new branding is critical for attractingwell-educated young people whowill allow Edmonton to compete in a new technology-based economy.

"We really want 18- to 34-year-olds to look at Edmonton as a place of opportunity where they can come and get ahead financially and they can make a huge impact on their community," hesaid.

The new brand for Edmonton is not a slogan or tagline, but a story that is packaged and pitched to different audiences, he said.

"To become one of the exciting cities to watch in the northern hemisphere, that's really the goal," said Ferguson.

The EEDC and city officials have come up with four themes they believe describe Edmonton: inventive, open, courageous and cooperative.

The mission statementis: "If you have the courage to take an idea to reality, to build, to make something, Edmonton is your city."

The new brand was endorsed by the executive committee on Tuesday.

Councillors asked for a report by January 2018 on how it is being implemented.