On Thursday, April 22, the Washington County branding initiative “It All Happens Here!” was named a recipient of a 2021 Four for the Future Award.
In 2019, the Carl Vinson Institute of Government was commissioned by Archway Partnership on behalf of Washington County to facilitate a countywide branding process and create a brand identity for Washington County and its eight communities – Davisboro, Deepstep, Harrison, Oconee, Riddleville, Sandersville, Tennille and Warthen.
The Washington County project included the creation of a steering committee with members from all eight municipalities, 21 focus groups, 176 individual interviews, 106 responses to an online survey, and a community immersion tour.
Vinson Institute graphic designers took the information provided by county residents and created a visual identity that captured the county’s diverse and unique sense of place.
The graphic design borrowed elements including a compass rose from an 18th century map of Georgia. Traditionally a symbol for navigation, it has eight points, nicely representing the eight Washington County communities, each of which received a customized logo as part of the branding. Even the color palette has historical references, borrowing the blue and gold from the Continental Army uniform selected by Washington in 1789. The tagline for the brand is “It All Happens Here!”
In addition, each community designed its own logo to fit within the county brand. The county now has tools to use for recruiting industry and the Chamber of Commerce has a brand message to attract visitors, enhance marketing, and aid local merchants.
Now in its ninth year, the Four for the Future Awards, co-sponsored by Georgia Trend magazine and UGA, recognize communities and regions that have worked across public-private sector and nonprofit boundaries to address challenges in ways that will lead to improved quality of life. These partnerships demonstrate effective collaboration, leadership and innovation, and they offer the promise of long-term community benefits.
