Key Challenge
Water, water everywhere . . .   The state of Michigan has the greatest total water surface area in the nation (inland, coastal, Great Lakes).  And with more water than land (57%), Manistee County, Michigan, is no exception. The region is hugged by 25 miles of Lake Michigan Shoreline, traversed by 276 miles of rivers and streams, dotted by 8,200 acres of artificial lakes and ponds and cradles 73,503 acres of wetlands.  However, many Michigan communities can boast about their abundance of water.  Manistee County was looking to leverage its connection to rivers, lakes and wetlands in a way that sets it apart from its neighbors.

Critical Insight
North Star research found that in Manistee County water really is the source of all life. But what makes Manistee County unrivaled in the world of water is the access that people - visitors, residents and businesses - have to all that H2O. People can engage with water in almost every way imaginable including fishing, swimming, motor boating, transportation, water sports, kayaking, canoeing, sailing, walking the Riverwalk, sunbathing or just dipping your toes during a leisurely beach or shore stroll. In fact, ensuring access for all is such a top priority, that Manistee County has launched a major initiative called Explore the Shores designed to give individuals with disabilities access to the County’s many wetlands and waterways. “People today are very experiential,” explained North Star CEO Don McEachern. “They don’t want to just look at something. They want to understand it, interact with it, touch it . . . feel it. Manistee County leaders had the vision to create a community where people can fully experience the water – soak it up, if you will – on every level.”

Brand Strategy
North Star recommended positioning Manistee County as a place for those drawn to four seasons of natural beauty, which connects tributaries of communities on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, where access to abundant and diverse bodies of water is an ever-present source of inspiration, charm and attraction.

The graphic identity supporting this strategy is based on the line “Where Life Meets Water,” which celebrates the elevation of even everyday experiences when they are combined with water.  The logo is an evocative combination of a wave pattern and the human pulse, giving a nod both to the life-sustaining and life-enhancing relationship all living things have with water.   Creative executions offer a different vantage point on the connection people have with water, literally looking at the moment from the water’s perspective. The end result is fluid, cool, otherworldly and infinitely inviting.

Initial Concept

One of the ways North Star brings your community brand to life is with a Brand Identity package, which is the creative representation of your community brand. Creative goodies include recommendations for a logo, strap line, color palette, print ads, outdoor boards, t-shirts, websites and more!  

 

 

• Inventory life in the water - Partner with students from West Shore Community College (or other regional colleges outside the County) to create a comprehensive inventory of all species that live in the waters of Manistee County.
  
  
• Support your bike riders - Develop a series of multi-bike racks that serve the purposes of both form and function. The rack should be designed to replicate the wave/pulse element in the logo. When no bikes are parked in the rack, it will look like branded public art.
  
  
  
  
• Help them hone in on the water - Another high-tech way to help visitors hone in on the closest water access is a customized Smartphone App. The Water Access App will identify the user’s location, the closest water access points and activities available at that access point.
  
  
• Incorporate branded elements into the streetscape plan - Look for ways that the primary graphic element in the logo can be incorporated into the actual structure of the streetscape such as crosswalks and retaining walls.
  
  
  
  
• Create a topnotch trade show booth - Use the new Manistee County brand to make a big impression at important trade shows. Give away water-related promotional items to support the brand strategy such as branded water bottles.
  
  
  
  
• Illustrate “bodies of water” - Commission an artist to illustrate a concept art relief map of only the bodies of water in Manistee County. This illustration could serve as a background to events posters, communications, signage, websites, etc.
  
  
• Hold a brand roll-out meeting for business - Supply businesses with the brand toolkit to help them bring the brand to life. Give all attending businesses a branded water cooler for placement in their lobby.
  
  
  
  
• Develop branded merchandise- Whether it’s a ball cap, t-shirt, water bottle or a key chain float, branded merchandise is a tangible, memorable way to keep the brand top-of-mind with residents, visitors and businesses.
  
  

   

Press

Kudos

“The collective body of all of the research was really important. If we had just done any one of those [research pieces] and tried to stake our claim on that it would not have been credible. The depth and magnitude of the research is what supported everything. We’re looking to get an integrated perspective on what is our true, accurate brand. It’s because we did all the various pieces of research that it worked.”
- Tim Ervin, Consultant, Alliance for Economic Success