DEFIANCE, Ohio, April 18,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Defiance Main Street
& Visitors Bureau, also known as the Defiance Development and
Visitors Bureau or DDVB, — in collaboration with the City of Defiance and Defiance County — has revealed a new
brand identity aligning the organizations and promoting the region
as a top choice to visit, live, and work. The City of Defiance just celebrated its
bicentennial year and over 38,000 people call Defiance County home. The new brand and
subsequent campaign will highlight the region's storied past,
outdoor recreation, and exceptional opportunities for living and
investment. The goal is to position Defiance County as a truly remarkable
destination for history buffs, outdoor enthusiasts, and those
looking for a unique area to make a life in Northwest Ohio.
"This new brand will enable our area to have a true identity as
a tourism destination," said Kirstie
Mack, Executive Director of the Defiance Main Street &
Visitors Bureau. "Currently, the identity of Defiance and Defiance County is represented through the
municipality and organizational logos. This branding project lets
the communities in Defiance County
showcase their story while promoting Defiance County as a place to visit, raise a
family, and open a business."
As the centerpiece of a fully approved multi-year integrated
marketing effort that includes a revamped website and a new
visitors guide, the brand and logo are featured prominently in all
Defiance County marketing pieces
along with new styles and colors established with the rebrand.
Together, these elements work to promote Defiance County's remarkable past and its
bright future.
"In the electronic world we live in today, branding and
marketing that brand is crucial in telling our story," said
Defiance Mayor Mike McCann. "Kirstie and her team at the
Visitors Bureau linked themselves with a quality company
and developed an excellent brand for themselves and our
community."
"Defiance County is where you
want to be. That is the basis for this rebranding. We want people
to know Defiance County is not
just a place you drive through, but a destination full of amazing
places, businesses, and most importantly, people," said
Defiance County Commissioner
David Kern. "From our trails and
nature preserves to our beautiful, active downtowns and scenic
river views, Defiance County has a
lot to offer. Our historical presence is astounding and each one of
our communities has its own unique identity. We want people to come
here and fall in love with what a small hometown is truly supposed
to feel like."
CREATING THE BRAND
The Defiance County brand coalition worked with McDaniels
Marketing of Pekin, IL — a
highly experienced tourism marketing firm — to build a brand to
establish a common identity between all county and city entities
and highlight the area's most desirable attributes. McDaniels
Marketing worked closely with local stakeholders to gather
information about Defiance County
including existing perceptions of the community's strengths and
weaknesses. Armed with this data, McDaniels Marketing developed
all-new brand messaging as well as brand logo and tagline
concepts.
THE NEW BRAND LOGO
The Defiance logo family
consists of three logos for Defiance
County, the City of Defiance, and Defiance Main Street &
Visitors Bureau. Each shares the same typefaces, similar
typesetting, and a distinctive three-point embellishment. The final
logo was designed with symbols that are emblematic of Defiance County, its history, and its
culture:
- Bold type — Represents strength and confidence.
- Three-point embellishment — Represents the three connecting
rivers and recalls a sunrise, a symbol of opportunity.
- Bridge —Represents the connections between four towns and the
closeness between the communities.
Each logo within the family has three alternative options:
(1) a white and gold version, to be used on black backgrounds and
when color is an option; (2) a colored version with light type to
be used on dark color backgrounds when color is available; and (3)
a full-color version to be used on light backgrounds when color is
an option.
Additionally, an alternate color version for the county is
available, as are individual versions for the Defiance Main Street
& Visitors Bureau, Defiance
Ohio with the tagline, and Defiance County.
THE TAGLINE
McDaniels Marketing also crafted a new tagline as part of
the rebrand. "It's Our Nature" leverages the city and county's bold
name as an attitude shared by the community, positioning them as
proud of their heritage and ready to defend it. The tagline also
promotes the region's pristine natural areas — such as the rivers
and nature preserves — for leisure and recreation. This tagline may
be used in future advertising materials such as print and digital
campaigns.
BRAND PROMISE STATEMENT
A brand promise statement was created leveraging the most
attractive attributes of Defiance
County — including its historical sites, outdoor recreation,
and quality of life — that will define the tone and messaging of
marketing communications in the future.
The streams of your life often seem to run
parallel to one another — never meeting, always separate. While
appearing disparate, these currents inch closer and closer until
they converge in one special time and place. Defiance County, Ohio, captures the spirit of
that existential confluence with unparalleled opportunities to
visit, settle down, build your career, and enjoy your life. The
rich earth provides moments of peaceful solitude in the wide-open,
natural spaces that define the Northwest
Ohio outdoors. Blaze a trail at Thoreau Wildlife Reserve,
cast a line at Oxbow Lake and Wildlife Area, or stroll around the
paved paths of the Reservoir Nature Trail. Catch a breath of fresh
air at our world-class parks, each boasting unique recreational
activities for all ages including a water park, splash pad, and
playgrounds. Launch a canoe or kayak and paddle not one, not two,
but three pristine rivers — the Maumee, the Auglaize, and the Tiffin — each flowing from one adventure to
the next through stunning, Midwestern environs. The stories of our
forefathers live on at the historical sites that preserve our
heritage, from the remains of our namesake fort to the
well-preserved and immersive Auglaize
Village. Get up close with global artifacts of a bygone era
at the Andrew L. Tuttle Memorial
Museum. Area residents steal the spotlight with local productions
at the Defiance Community Auditorium and the Stroede Center for the
Arts, while the intimate Huber Opera House and Civic Center
welcomes touring and local acts to nearby Hicksville. Fallen in love with Defiance County and want to extend your stay
much longer? Join a friendly community welcoming all walks of life
and create the lifestyle you choose, from stately houses that have
stood over city streets since the early 1820s to the home of your
dreams built from the ground up. Equip your children with the
knowledge and skills needed through their journey into adulthood at
our public and private schools — and continue their education
locally at our private institution, Defiance
College. Want to bring your business vision to life? Join a
supportive economic environment and follow in the footsteps of the
innovative minds that have called Defiance County home — repurpose a historic
storefront in a picturesque downtown or transform acres of
undeveloped land into an opportunity for both you and your future
workforce. Discover the potential awaiting you in the Defiance area and follow the flow of life to
an unforgettable convergence.
BRAND STANDARDS, MESSAGING, & MERCHANDISE
The Defiance Main Street & Visitors Bureau has finalized
its new branding and brand standards along with
finalizing a new website, visitors guide, and a potential line of
merchandise.
For more information or images, please contact:
KIRSTIE MACK
Executive Director — Defiance Main Street & Visitors
Bureau,
at kirstie@visitdefianceohio.com or call 419-782-0739.
BRIDGET NORMAN
Media & Public Relations Director — McDaniels
Marketing
11 Olt Ave., Pekin, IL 61554
309-346-4230 • bnorman@mcdmarketing.com
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SOURCE Defiance County,
Ohio