City Branding
North Olmsted, OH

Project Overview

The City of North Olmsted, an established suburb of Cleveland, turned to Guide Studio for a comprehensive city branding initiative and sign program to reflect its vibrant community and rich history. Known for its tree-lined streets, affordable living, and diverse cultural backgrounds, North Olmsted offers state-of-the-art schools, robust parks and recreation, and high-quality city services. Combined with ongoing infrastructure investments and convenient highway access, these elements reinforce North Olmsted as a desirable place to call home.

Despite these strengths, North Olmsted struggled with identity challenges, often perceived as an outdated retail hub with transient residents. Guide Studio addressed this through Brand Discovery Workshops, engaging government officials, residents, and business leaders to uncover the city’s unique personality. The resulting city branding strategy included a redesigned logo, unified color palette, and brand voice guide for internal and external communications. Training sessions ensured city employees could implement the brand consistently.

The impact was immediate and transformative. The Parks & Recreation Department and Springvale Golf Course & Ballroom integrated key branding elements into their marketing, sparking excitement and alignment across city departments. The brand has also been incorporated into key neighborhood locations and signage, reinforcing a cohesive visual identity. North Olmsted’s city brand is not just aspirational—it is a testament to its lasting value as a remarkable community.

Project Scope

Place Branding

  • Community Engagement
  • Brand Assessment
  • Positioning
  • Identity System Design
  • Implementation Planning

 

Signage & Wayfinding

  • Experience Audit & Assessment
  • Wayfinding Strategy & Planning
  • Signage Design & Documentation
  • Implementation Support

 

Communication Strategy

  • Key Messaging with Message Maps
  • Brand Voice & Guidelines
  • Website Audit & Recommendations

“Guide brought the ability to see the whole picture, which was invaluable to me. They could map out and tell me what the end game would be. Along the way, they managed the project in a way that it made sense to people internally. Once we had a shared understanding of what we were trying to accomplish — and that we would have best practice rules and guidelines that everyone could use — it helped get people on-board.”

Kim Lieber

former Director of Planning & Development, City of North Olmsted