“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 [email protected] or call 419-782-0739.
BRIDGET NORMAN
Media & Public Relations Director — McDaniels Marketing
11 Olt Ave., Pekin, IL 61554
309-346-4230 • [email protected]
SOURCE Defiance County, Ohio
