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Client: Walton County, Georgia
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Who is this guy?
By Stephen Milligan
Walton County will start to have a new face to outsiders in the upcoming months, as the Walton County Chamber of Commerce board got a sneak peak at the new logo for the area.
The new brand — using the catchphrase “Stretch Out” and the silhouette of a man with arms outstretched between the words “Walton” and “County” in the logo — will soon grace county stationery, public signs, the county website, advertising and other presentations of the county to the outside world.
Ed Barlow, project manager for brand developer North Star Destination Strategies, said the brand would help show off Walton’s unique character to visitors, prospective residents and interested businesses looking at the area.
“Your brand is not just about a logo,” Barlow said. “It’s about making connections. We believe you don’t create a brand, you uncover it.”
The new logo and branding efforts are the results of the chamber’s One Walton initiative, designed to give the county and component cities a single look for outsiders and consolidate marketing and advertising efforts.
With the brand finished and ready to roll out in the coming months, the chamber will be visiting the city councils for every city in Walton County, presenting the logo and explaining possible ways to use it in the area. The stretching man icon is already being looked at in an effort to possibly use it in individual city logos as well, further consolidating the county’s branding efforts.
The “Stretch Out” catchphrase accompanying the new logo is designed to emphasize both Walton’s expansive room to grow in a semi-rural county as well as the ability to grow a business or other enterprise in a permissive economic climate.
Teri Wommack, president of the Walton County Chamber of Commerce, said the brand was an exciting change coming to the area.
“I am very excited about the possibilities we have to brand Walton County,” Wommack said. “Our new ‘Stretch Out’ theme is very unique, yet very recognizable and something all can relate to in everyday life, whether that is raising a family or managing or owning a business in Walton County. We invite you to come stretch with us!”
Barlow said finishing the logo was only the beginning of their branding efforts, with further steps needed to make the brand an essential part of how people perceive Walton County.
“The goal is to make ‘Stretch Out’ the guiding principle for Walton County,” Barlow said. “You’ll want to be careful on how you put it to work.”
Emily Russell gives instructions to her fellow volunteers as part of the Walton Day of Service on April 16. T-shirts from the event featured part of the logo from the new branding campaign for Walton County, which local people should be seeing more of in the coming months and years.
