Position Papers
Branding Communities Public Venues

How a Coordinated Brand Strategy Springs New Life into Park Systems

Parks & Branding
Whether you want to stretch your legs after being cooped up in a cubicle, walk your dog or enjoy a sunset picnic, parks invite us to escape the chaos of everyday life so we can stop and smell the roses. In addition to providing opportunities to reconnect with the outdoors, healthy park systems deliver tangible benefits that every community cares about, including improved wellness, ecotourism, increased property values, new talent attraction, and cleaner air and water – to name a few. ...
June 12, 2017 Brand Strategy
News
Communities Wayfinding

City of Worthington Installs New Signs to Revitalize Downtown

CITY OF WORTHINGTON – June 21, 2017 – The City of Worthington, and partner Guide Studio, has completed and installed phase 1 of a citywide 136-sign wayfinding program in an effort to better orient residents and visitors, and update the overall look and feel of the Worthington community...
June 21, 2017 Press Release, Sign Fabrication, Sign System, Vehicular Signage
Position Papers
Branding Communities Institutions Public Venues Retail Wayfinding

The Verbs of Place

Branding, Placemaking and Wayfinding
Branding, Placemaking and Wayfinding. What on earth do these terms mean and what value do they bring to a community? While they sound like buzzwords, each represents a deep area of practice and expertise that can help communities identify and promote who they are, align and attract residents, businesses and visitors, bringing purpose and function to their district. Translating to real return on investment, the meaning of these words is worth getting to know...
May 2, 2017 Authentic, Definition, Placemaking
Blogs
Branding Communities Marketing

6 Frequently Asked Questions About Civic Branding

Civic organizations are often slow to pull the trigger on a new brand, and for good reasons. Spending public dollars on marketing often attracts attention. But when the process and the product are done well, that spotlight can shine some much-deserved attention on the community, stirring pride and renewing excitement for what the future holds. Regardless of what’s holding you back, there are a lot of considerations wrapped into this decision that take time to sort out...
June 7, 2017 Brand Champions, Brand Experience, Civic Branding
News
Communities Wayfinding

“New master plan will guide people through RF”

Guide Studio to Develop Wayfinding Program in River Falls, WI
As the name promises, River Falls is a beautiful city in Wisconsin that can boast spectacular views of the Kinnickinnic River and surrounding area. It's also a charming community that is home to the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. The city has recently joined forces with Guide Studio to eliminate sign clutter and rethink wayfinding to better accommodate their visitors...
May 11, 2017 Sign System, Vehicular Signage, Wayfinding Assessment, Wayfinding Audit
Blogs
Communities Marketing Wayfinding

Interpretative Signage as Stealth Marketing

Revealing the Character of a Place & Encouraging Visitors to Learn
When we think of signs, we think of those that provide directions or label a place, all with intention of helping people find their way. But signage can do much more than guide people – it can promote learning, invite engagement, trigger behaviors and stir emotion. Cue interpretive signage: a powerful tool that communities a depth of information or tells a story that ignites meaningful relationships with visitors...
May 2, 2017 Brand Experience, Branded Environment, Interpretive Signage, Stealth Marketing
Webinars
Communities Marketing

How to Market Without a Marketing Department

For Cities and Communities | Thursday, June 8 | 2:00–3:00pm
In this webinar, we discuss the opportunities for making the most of your marketing efforts without the support of a marketing team, and arm you with practical tools to get started. Whether you are flying solo or have the support of a colleague, marketing to a broad constituency is no easy job. Large diverse audiences, public perceptions, lofty goals and modest budgets are compounded by the fact that most communities do not have a fully staffed marketing team…or even one dedicated resource...
May 2, 2017 Budgets, Marketing Team

Planning a Brand Launch?

A well-documented plan will give your new brand the attention it really deserves.

Download

Blogs
Branding Communities Institutions Marketing Wayfinding

How to Win a Grant

Pursuing grants for civic projects can be daunting. Completing the rigorous multi-page applications and compiling all the supporting documentation is a tedious job, but grant-making organizations require a 360-degree perspective in order to do their due diligence. Limited funding means projects are scrutinized and for you, this means providing a thorough package that tells your story while including important planning and financial information the grant maker needs to make a decision...
May 23, 2017 Brand Purpose, Grant Funding, Grants, Strategic Partnerships
Position Papers
Branding Communities Public Venues Retail

Life After Branding

You invest a lot of time and energy into producing a new brand for your place. But once it's complete, that work is all for nothing if you don't do anything with it. So what's next? While it's tempting to throw out the brand in a one-and-done promotional blitz, consider how a well-orchestrated, phased transition plan can take your brand further, faster...
March 23, 2017 Brand Champions, Brand Launch, Brand Strategy
News
Branding Communities Wayfinding

Freshwater Cleveland Reports on the Tremont Towpath

Development News
Freshwater Cleveland offers a great overview and update on the construction of the Tremont Towpath - a paved path connecting two ends of the 100-mile Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail that extends from New Philadelphia to downtown Cleveland. The 1.9 miles of the Tremont Towpath is unique because it weaves through Tremont and is one of few places where the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail connects with a city. Bikers, runners and walkers can stop for a cup of coffee or a bite to eat and easily explore Tremont from the path...
May 2, 2017 Civic Branding, Towpath, Tremont
Blogs
Branding Communities Institutions Public Venues

Top 5 Lessons Learned from Rebranding

As many of you know, we recently underwent a major rebrand, changing our name from Studio Graphique to Guide Studio and revamped our logo, website and visual identity. While we have worked with countless clients on major rebranding projects, we’ve learned so much in going through this process ourselves. It has been quite an undertaking...
April 18, 2017 Brand Experience, Brand Identity, Brand Launch
News
Branding Communities

‘Great Miami Riverway’ new brand for corridor

Piqua Daily Call
The Great Miami Riverway project - a 99-mile district along the river with mixed-use trails - is getting some much deserved attention! The work that is completed and underway is making an incredible impact on the greater Dayton community and we feel really privileged to be a part of this awesome initiative...
April 21, 2017 Brand Champions, Brand Identity
Position Papers
Communities Institutions Public Venues Retail Wayfinding

Wayfinding Start Here

Where Does One Begin to Develop a Wayfinding Program?
A lot of our projects begin with a call from a future client with a statement of “We need a wayfinding program.” After a conversation addressing the issues they’ve experienced to bring them to this conclusion, we get to the reasonable questions such as: “What is this going to cost?,” “How long will this take?,” Who will need to be involved?,” How do you determine what signs we will need?,” etc...
March 10, 2017 Sign System, Wayfinding Assessment, Wayfinding Audit

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