New County branding to be ‘The County’
Administrator | Mar 30, 2014 | Comments 152
Councillors have supported a new branding of “The County” for Prince Edward County.
The brand, logo, and slogan ‘The County’ has been designed “to build greater awareness of the County’s lifestyle and visitor experience to attract new residents, visitors and investment opportunities”.
The branding was designed by 1dea Design + Media Inc., of Kingston.
The branding report states the budgeted amount for development of the new corporate website includes creative design work estimated to cost between $10,000 and $15,000.
The cost of developing the complete branding package and materials will be $15,250, with the small excess being funded by the Community Development Commission.
Outside of the upcoming planned communications projects, the brand implementation program will have a longer term impact and is currently budgeted for 2014 at $10,000 to cover the cost of new signage, vehicle decals, and other applications.
Private sector partners and community groups would be responsible for their own costs of implementing the brand.
It is to go to council for final approval Tuesday, April 8.
The report states the logo was designed to incorporate a number of visual elements that seek to capture The County’s identity in an authentic manner while remaining simple, clear and vivid.
The design includes:
• Agriculture – represented by the barn and silo
• Wine/Viticulture – represented by grapes and a grape leaf
• Sandbanks and our surrounding water bodies – represented by the
curving sandy-coloured area above the curving blue water (wave)
• Art & Creativity – represented by the overall stained-glass styling of the logo and the inclusion of various solid colours
• Rustic, Rural Landscape – captured in the grainy/distressed bordering, orange sky and the farm elements
The report further states retention of “The County” name rather than only “Prince Edward County” was determined to be important for a number of reasons:
– Part of the local lexicon, making it authentic
– Unique – other county’s do not brand themselves as “The County”
– It is increasingly referenced by the media
– It differentiates us from Prince Edward Island
– Suggests that we are not just any County, we are “The County”.
– “The County” is already trademarked by the Municipality meaning that
no other entity may use it in this fashion.
The inclusion of “Ontario” and the maple leaf as a reference to Canada was done to help identify and leverage the location of The County. Canada has
been ranked for many years as the #1 country brand in the world and is well thought of by tourists and residents. Both of these contribute to a positive
sense of place.
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Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, but the opinions that are most important relate to two groups:
* Those that are promoting the County to others — County government and local business associations.
* Those who are potential “buyers” — tourists, business owners looking for a place to relocate, families looking for a new community. We’ll have to wait and see if the new branding
We already know that there is a strong buy-in from the first group. We’ll have to wait and see whether the new County brand increases our appeal to the second group.
To me, the logo (without accompanying explanation) communicates rural/farming/wineries very well. The blue and sand colours and the stained glass aspect are a bit subtle re recreational opportunities and arts/creative businesses, but there’s a limit to what you can achieve with a logo.
Picking up on one of Wolf’s comments, the word mark “The County” is very important, ensuring continued emphasis on how we want to be identified.
Marnie Quote:
the new logo has certainly evoked an emotional response best described as “Yikes, underdrawers” which is fine if you want us branded as the a** end of Ontario.
ROFLOL
hilarious
STUPID
It would appear from a sampling on here that few like it and many find it childlike. And cartoonist! That’s without speaking about cost. I could have had that type of simple work donated!
Everyone is entitled to an opinion Marnie. 🙂
Fruit of the Loom…a red apple, leaves, green grapes, currants, and purple grapes! …. a little history courtesy of Wikkipedia…”The Fruit of the Loom brand dates back to 1851 in Rhode Island when Robert Knight, a textile mill owner, visited his friend, Rufus Skeel. Mr. Skeel owned a small shop in Providence, Rhode Island that sold cloth from Mr. Knight’s mill. Mr. Skeel’s daughter painted images of apples and applied them to the bolts of cloth. The ones with the apple emblems proved most popular. Mr. Knight thought the labels would be the perfect symbol for his trade name, Fruit of the Loom — a name that bears resemblance to the phrase “fruit of the womb”, an expression meaning “children”, which can be traced back to use in the Bible (Psalm 127:3).”
Rick Conroy wrote an excellent article in this week’s Wellington Times about The County’s new brand and logo.
As I understand it there were several submissions from local designers.
I’m not familiar with the Cultural Round Table Theresa.
Well, Wolf, the new logo has certainly evoked an emotional response best described as “Yikes, underdrawers” which is fine if you want us branded as the a** end of Ontario. I believe you are wrong when you say that only local residents with certain prejudices will look at it and think Fruit of the Loom. It is butt ugly for certain and some of us county folk are not the only ones who will notice this. Why did we have to go to a Kingston company with so many artists in our home community? It’s sad that we have so little respect for the talented people in our own backyard.
You can colour this logo the end result of a poor decision, pun intended.
Wolf, thank you for your research. However, let’s not confuse The County “CREST” with the county logo/branding image as seen on the upper left hand corner of the home page for the municipality. This icon was developed several years ago with the input from members of The Cultural Round Table. I’m not suggesting we keep or continue with this brand but, I am suggesting we could have found an image which is a bit less child-like. Have a look at the image on the link below – upper left hand corner. Not bad….not great. It does need to be more memorable…..but, I don’t like the cartoon.
http://www.pecounty.on.ca
Marnie, Gary and Theresa…
I’m not trying to gloss over your passion for the old logo and the history of The County. All of us feel connected to The County.
All of us have that feeling to the brands we feel connected to. Loyalty leads to increased awareness, participation and many other things.
A logo, as the visual representation of The County’s brand, is often the first touch point visitors will have with The County. It should make a connection with the intended audience by evoking an emotional response.
How is that done, and how do you know if it’s done well?
Whenever graphic design companies, who specialize in marketing communications undertake a logo design project, the briefing and their own research they’ve conducted is synthesized to determine a brand’s attributes. Then, during the creative process, they attempt to communicate how the logo should make a person “feel” using a combination of the following graphic elements:
1. Typefaces: for the name of the organization. Fonts can be elegant, fun, modern, and more. Type styles evoke emotion, so they should be carefully considered. In the case of this new logo (very few of you) has mentioned much about “THE COUNTY”. This new logo attempts to enhance the existing brand for The County both with name and font to make the graphic pop and create that emotional connection.
All of you have been impacted emotionally (in a negative way) to the graphic somewhat due to personal history. Well, times they are a changing. None of us can stop the clock. 🙂
2. Imagery: if used, an icon or other graphic should enhance the name of the organization, not overshadow it. Ask yourself if it does. (I think it does.) Adding more history to the graphic would diminish it’s stopping power… that’s not good. Clutter is never good. More on this in a moment.
3. Colour: perhaps the most important consideration. Colour has been shown to have measurable psychological impact, and is often affiliated with a specific industry. For example, blue is calming and often used in the health care and financial sectors; green is natural and healthy; yellow is youthful and cheerful; white is cool, clean and fresh; and red is powerful and energetic. We don’t think of The County as an industry but if you stop and think about it, it really is.
In my marketing days whenever we first began presenting any logo concepts to clients, the ensuing discussions often devolved into a subjective discussion of who liked blue better than green. This was not terribly helpful feedback, so we developed guidelines for our clients to ask themselves as they reviewed the options:
• Is it legible? Is it easy to read and understand?
• Is it impactfull (stopping power)? Does it stand out and catch your eye?
• Is it meaningful? Does it support your organizations goals and objectives?
• Is it differentiated enough from your ‘competition’ and does it avoid obvious visual cliches? I think this new logo is better than the communities around us, as well as the new branding for Bay of Quinte Country… which uses more images of the County than our neighbours. That’s because we have “IT ALL HERE”. 🙂
• Is it authentic? Does it feel genuine and appropriate for what The County wants to do, does it do it for who you want to reach?
• Does it have enduring value? Will it stand the test of time, and look just as fresh in several years as it does now? Logo designs can fall into trendy traps.
• Is it flexible? Will it work across different media, such as websites, business cards, tote bags, PowerPoint slide presentations, email newsletters…and much more?
• Will it work for you both in color and in black and white?
• Do you need a tagline with it and if so, will it accommodate one? THE COUNTY….Prince Edward County Maple Leaf …. Ontario it’s all there. I think it does the job very well.
Finally, remember that this logo is not the only element of PEC’s brand identity. It is a part of the whole picture, but not THE whole picture. I’m certain that the person at Shire Hall hired to oversee this project (of marketing The County) will utilize the logo within an entire brand system, with other elements such as color, typography, images, core messages, etc., that help to complete The County’s unique story.
In other words, the logo does not necessarily have to communicate everything we want The County to stand for.
I have enjoyed reading the comments with regard to the new logo/brand. I’m not an artist, so I can’t say I would have done a better job but, I do have an opinion. I think the new offering is cute in a “TVO children’s programming” kind of way. If cuteness is what The County is looking to achieve, then let’s just move forward with this image. The image does make me think “Fruit of the Loom” minus an apple or two. Yuppers, if The County is looking to be “cute” in an “unmentionables” kind of way pull up your knickers and bring on the tourists!
Wolf says “there is absolutely no truth to your statement” . Wonder where his evidence is to support that claim?
I also wonder how more visitors staying in hotels, motels and B&B’s and eating in restaurants helps our road situation? Our roads are pounded to death but how does that revenue return to the County coffers to repair them? All tourism is not an upside. There are some costs that local taxpayers have to cover.
As for the logo, it is amateurish, reminds folks of fruit of the loom and as Sanmc says, seems to be wine industry driven. It’s once again that come here and take over attitude that irritates so many. We are a lot more than grapes and a beach.
Before you campaign for more tourists Wolfe how do you plan to accommodate the ones we already attract? Have you visited Sobey’s plaza lately? It is nearly impossible to find a parking spot. In the summer months it will be even worse. We already have traffic jams thanks to our summer visitors. A lot of county natives avoid Main Street and Sandbanks Park in the summer months. Who needs the hassle? As for hoping that some of the tourists will settle here and contribute to the local coffers – that does not seem to make much difference. We already have dozens of McMansions in the county so our taxes should be getting lower. Instead they keep getting higher and higher. Curious isn’t it?
If we keep on packing in those tourists we will turn the county into another Alexandria Bay. All that is special about it will be lost and visitors will look for unspoiled areas that have not been commercialized out of existence.
sanmc makes the following points….
“I’ve read all points, but the obvious one.”
Which is the obvious one?
“What is on the logo is being promoted as economics and development. It is the wine business turning every aspect. See the red wine tasting barn, how quaint. This silo is a dying adage. It does nothing but fill up space. A sail boat there instead would be nice. Farm barns in the county are grayish worn wood with many in in need of some repair. Only wine barns are red.”
Nonesense. The Henry Oosterhuis barn, the most photographed barn in Ontario is red. My farming neighbour across the road from me has a red barn. Logos help economic development. Are you opposed to that?
“Wine begets more policing, offenses, violations, domestic violence, partying, more revenue, tax right offs.”
Do you have evidence to support your claims or are you still just stuck in prohibition days? There is absolutely no truth to your statement.
” It’s sad the beaches, waves and sandbanks are completely unrecognizable, are hidden, represented in only colour on the logo. The blue water I took as a large farm pond to facilitate wine making. I’d never’ve guessed from the logo that Prince Edward County was surrounded by pristine lake waters and how the south shore lands become bird aviaries in spring and fall.”
You missed ‘art & creativity’. Were you unable to conceive a critique for this segment of The County? Or is it just that you’ve never wandered around and visited our painters, potters, sculptures, glass blowers, and other talented people who pay taxes just like you and the rest of us?
You also missed “rustic & rural”.
This new logo ‘will’ effectively bring in more visitors who will be staying in hotels, motels, B&B’s etc. They will be eating in our restaurants. They might even buy a home here and contribute scarce tax dollars needed to improve roads and other infrastructure. Are you against that as well.
“These aspects along with the history of antiques are what attracted people to the county in the first place long before the wineries came. I sigh that all this has changed due to the threat of turbines coming to a backyard near
you or to someone’s you’ve known for years as a good friend . Vineyards is a good use of land but they are also a forced economic development strategy, albeit not as good as removing the threat of turbines.”
It’s true that the antiques were here as far back as the 60’s. One simply can’t communicate every segment of the community. Should the logo reflect ALL the diversity of The County? Only if you want it to be 20×20 in size. And then it stops being effective and efficient.
“This logo throws the baby out with the bathwater.”
What does hold true is that everything over time changes. 🙂
I’ve read all points, but the obvious one.
What is on the logo is being promoted as economics and development. It is the wine business turning every aspect. See the red wine tasting barn, how quaint. This silo is a dying adage. It does nothing but fill up space. A sail boat there instead would be nice. Farm barns in the county are grayish worn wood with many in in need of some repair. Only wine barns are red.
Wine begets more policing, offenses, violations, domestic violence, partying, more revenue, tax right offs.
It’s sad the beaches, waves and sandbanks are completely unrecognizable, are hidden, represented in only colour on the logo. The blue water I took as a large farm pond to facilitate wine making. I’d never’ve guessed from the logo that Prince Edward County was surrounded by pristine lake waters and how the south shore lands become bird aviaries in spring and fall.
These aspects along with the history of antiques are what attracted people to the county in the first place long before the wineries came. I sigh that all this has changed due to the threat of turbines coming to a backyard near you or to someone’s you’ve known for years as a good friend . Vineyards is a good use of land but they are also a forced economic development strategy, albeit not as good as removing the threat of turbines.
This logo throws the baby out with the bathwater.
The sad part is that most of these councilors will want to be re elected and one wants to be mayor
Yes I can see it all now. It’s really intense for just $15,000.
https://www.google.ca/#q=fruit+of+the+loom+logo
“So other than the grapes what is the rest of it and what does it represent?” – Gary
Re-read the story… it’s all there. 🙂
I get the grapes, they have been a part of County gardens since the days of our earliest settlers. The wine industry came to the grapes (climate,soil) not the other way around.
I get the importance of branding, it’s integral to any marketing mix along with a targeted set of objectives and strategies.
I get that logo design is an art, a craft. It is not fair or accurate to say that any kid or artist (painter, potter, etc?) could do better.
I get that this logo is clean, crisp and executable in the various printed colour formats required for stationery, advertising materials, decals, signage and vehicles.
I get that you can’t please everybody.
But I don’t get that warm and fuzzy feeling looking at this submission. Where’s the charm, the sense of pride or character? It’s not in the font choice.
I don’t get the County’s aversion to anyone with a KOK postal code. You boast about your creative community and then go outside for work meant to define this area?? If nothing else, a commission to a local graphic artist would have represented an economic stimulus. Local artists have roofs to repair, furnaces to replace and haircuts to buy. The logic defies understanding or anything approaching common sense.
And, I certainly don’t get the price. Having been professionally part of logo design for almost 30 years, this is excessive. Structuring a design competition would have cost considerably less, have been more engaging and ultimately, respectfully, just as fruitful.
Wow another great decision by people with no though. Like allowing the Dukes to control and sell advertizing because the county had no one ( hire a professional company who charge a percentage) hire a person to manage the areans and bring in special events to raise money to help offset the cost of these areana. (another unqualified person getting a big salary and has done nothing after a year, lay her off you are not getting any bang for our buck)now this cartoon which when all said and done will cost more that $15000.00
I’ve worked with several graphic designers and any one of them could have trumped that crude logo that has just cost us a whopping $15,000. and for far, far less money. Has council no common sense at all? The final insult is that after spending this unjustified amount we end up with a silly logo that a kid could have drawn.
The existing logo looks far more professional. We just re-branded ourselves as County With the Worst Taste in Art. With all of the artists who call our county home how did we ever end up with this ugly logo?
braun, I organized a logo design contest for a large Canadian Charitable Organization. The exe. and members selected a design from many. All volunteer. Kudos was the reward and name claim to the creation of the design. It was very successful. Logo: a dove on the background of a maple leaf . . . simple & perfect to suit.
The design process can be simple or elaborate depending on the money, or lack of it, tailor made. If the county has it they will spend it. And the platform from last election was: “no more tax increases for the first year?” I think so. Expect a ditto of that promise. News from on high . . . balance budgets 2015 ?
And next on the county block. Will they revamp the current “official county song” by J.Arsenault; let’s say something a little more like the . . . on-the-edge-of-the-future’ rap music?
So other than the grapes what is the rest of it and what does it represent? Seriously? I would strongly recommend that Grade 5 students get into the logo business right away. There is a bloody fortune to be made.
This is the logo currently being used by “The County” on the letterheads, clothing and vehicles. Don’t see a sail or plough on it check it out at… http://www.pecounty.on.ca
This website is called “CountyLIVE”. It’s a great name and the logo clearly communicates that The County is alive and moving forward. 🙂
” What was wrong with the old one. THE SAIL AND THE PLOUGH? I was much nicer.”
That’s the past! The new logo is future. Logos are a marketing tool (tactic). If you use the old, then people will expect farming and commercial fishing, rum running. That’s the past.
As to cost. Have any of you, who are critical of this logo, ever been involved with the design / redesign of logos? My experience, having worked on some pretty major brands, the costs can run into the hundreds of thousands even into the million.
This logo is good value and clearly communicates ‘The County’ of today and into the future.
Very sad…that an extremely modest $15,250 has been spent already to rebrand “The County” when it didn’t need to be rebranded. Especially when the existing logo that we already have on everything (letterhead, websites, clothing, vehicles etc.) says exactly what the new logo says. The County – Prince Edward County, Ontario. So I guess the $15,250 is really only paying for that creative picture which is soooooo worth that modest amount of money!
That kind of production could have been easily developed by our Public School system. There are going to be a lot of questions for Council on why taxpayers $$ were spent so foolishly.
The county paid good money for that amateurish bit of art?? The price was “reasonable”??
again, the experts continue to say
get out of debt
keep your debt down
stay out of debt
. . . even then it will be a struggle for those who are already out of debt.
Absolutely, Gary!!!
My branch of the family left the county to find work to support a growing family. I am the first to return with my family. Where we come from $15 000 is a hell of a lot of money to spend on a picture.
The county has already been discovered. Why do we need this?
What was wrong with the old one. THE SAIL AND THE PLOUGH? I was much nicer.
What some would determine as being “achieved at a very reasonable cost” others would cry foul as they try to pay their water and wastewater bill. Things that make you go Hmmmmmmmm! Certainly becoming a society and County of the haves and have not’s.
We do not need a new brand–we have one already
A barn!!!!–most of our barns have fallen down
Did a grade 3 student do this?
WE have a lot of artists in the County that could come up with something better
I don’t understand why money is WASTED ON things like this.
I checked with the County, and was told that there were 33 submissions, including 3 from The County. Five of the 33 were shortlisted, and 1dea was selected based on price, experience, local knowledge and portfolio.
Much of the background work was done in-house, with the result that the outside cost was only $15,250, plus $10,000 to be spent in the near future on implementation (signage, decals, etc.) This is extremely modest for a total rebranding project.
Seriously it looks too similar to the Fruit of the Loom..too bad again, no public input ..the cost when it is all done…not only signs, uniforms of employees and so one!! could have put more money into road repairs…please!!
Saying that the artistic community of The County is represented by “the stained glass effect and the solid colours” is a real stretch… No matter how you spin it – I can’t see it, and I have a great imagination.
It does look a little like Fisher Price work. I can see the extreme talent that went into this. And the grapes right up front like they have been part of our rich history for centuries. If you are going to go with the new County look then along with the grapes slip in the Turbines set back from a derelict road.
I really like the new branding, which has been achieved at a very reasonable cost. It is significant that it received unanimous approval by Council and written support from several County business associations.
Regarding purchasing policy, here are the main criteria:
PURPOSES, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THIS BY-LAW
The purposes, goals and objectives of this by-law and of each of the methods of procurement authorized herein are: a. To encourage competition among suppliers;
b. To maximize savings for taxpayers;
c. To ensure Service and product delivery quality, efficiency and effectiveness;
d. To make Service and product providers accountable to the Municipality and the public;
e. To provide the highest level of government Service at the least possible cost;
f. To ensure fairness between bidders;
g. To ensure objectivity in the procurement process;
h. To the extent possible, ensure openness, accountability and transparency while protecting the financial best interests of the Municipality;
i. To obtain the best value for the Municipality when procuring Goods and Services;
j. To avoid conflicts between the interests of the Corporation and those of the Corporation’s employees and members of Council;
k. To minimize risk to the Corporation.
County businesses have an equal opportunity to bid for County projects. And, good news! County businesses have an equal opportunity to bid for projects in Belleville, Quinte West, Kingston etc. If every municipality purchased only from local businesses, some County business owners would starve.
For more on the County’s purchasing policy, see the 41 page document at http://tinyurl.com/krv6ssg .
This reminds me of a Fisher Price logo. Not very professional looking for the price of it. I’m sure if they had sent it out to all the schools in “The County” they would have received a better logo than this. It would have more meaning being designed by a resident of “The County”. Why couldn’t this have been tendered out (like everything else the “The County” does) to any designers in “The County” (what happened to the push of buy local) and then vote on the best one? The logo that is presently being used looks more professional. It is already on everything so its not wasting $15,000 that could be used on other needed things. Nothing surprising…just another hiccup of “The County”
Then . . . everyone
Do something . . . send an email to every councilor. Simply ask WHY this was not tendered to a county business, or a “starving artist” of PEC.
P.S.
the creative talent in the county is super abundant
How much time & money did counsel take to come to this decision…..most of us who love and live in the county have been referring to Prince Edward County as THE COUNTY for years…..Hopefully they did not need a consultant to arrive at what most of us already use…..I guess all the new employees for the county have also been recruited from outside THE COUNTY
I like what the designers have done with the various elements bringing them together – agriculture, viticulture, etc.. It’s a strong logo that says a lot about The County.
I agree, yes, baysider turbines and yes Pam, local designers. What the heck are they thinking about. Well it hasn’t passed yet. We all could email councilors and disagree. Follow the money to Kingston once again.
And what about the “IBA – Important Bird Area” well known throughout the world and attracts international birders and researchers to Ostrander every spring and fall. HellllO!
Is speaking “turbines” in the same sentence with economic development forbidden? I’ve never heard this together and never read it together. As if the turbine issue will go away; or is invisible, taboo; are they pretending? This method is deceptive and not reality.
People on the outskirts are not easily fooled, neither are real estate buyers or sellers who have disclosure of this info. Builders are not stupid regarding their bottom line and saleability.
This kind of marketing is dishonest, I disagree with it. Yeah, add a huge turbine just offset behind that red barn will accent the truth. And actually that barn is disappearing by falling into disrepair due to lack of use, and due to taxes many farmers are happy to see them come down. A new design in 5yrs.
The “Prince Edward” name is not to be ashamed of, it’s the strongest part of heritage identity. This is the only way to shorten it > the county.
When lakeshore waters turn to turbines and vineyards . . . welcome to “the county”. (which county was that: Halton, Essex, Norfolk, Leeds, Kent, maybe Brant?) Which as quoted above: “is unique already as no other county is using it as identity.”
At times, the county does seem like a little country unto its own; it just needs it’s own currency and a little flag with a logo of a barn, grapes, water, a turbine, a sandbank, a piece of sun and a little bird.
And hopefully it’s own independent hospital.
does it surprise you that they didnt ask a county artist to do this…they have no job plan for the county just bring in more retired people wineries and tourist..there are no jobs in the county to support a family anymore
Anybody in ‘the County’ could have told council that we were already branded as ‘the County’. It was already in use years before I arrived in 1992. So much creative talent, it is obscene that council went to an ‘outsider’. So far this has cost $15,250 and they’ve budgeted another $10,000 to put up signs on tricks and buildings? billboards? Let’s hope they at least source those jobs in the County.
My County Motto for 22 years has been: Cross border shopping is going to Belleville/Trenton.
Wonder how many potholes $25,000 could fill?
How much is this going to cost us in our tax bill???
Meh.
I really like the new logo, but am disappointed that this opportunity for design wasn’t offered to be designed by a local artist, which The County has many!
They forgot to put a wind turbine on the logo