Community Branding
WHAT IS A COMMUNITY BRAND AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Our brand is our authentic identity. It’s the emotional connection to who we are as a community. It’s our reputation and what differentiates us from others. Just like people or products, communities have reputations based on all the different experiences people have had with a community over time. Branding is the process of changing, clarifying, refining or improving that reputation.
Understanding our brand helps to provide a promise we can deliver and guides strategic decisions and investments that our community leaders make. It can help boost new business and development interest, attract new residents and visitors, inspire innovative programs and services and boost civic pride.
ISN'T A BRAND JUST A LOGO THOUGH?A brand is so much more than a logo. It’s how we tell our story and how we articulate the soul of our community. A logo—or in our case a set of creative assets—is a reflection of the brand visualized. The community's brand is more intangible as it invokes feelings. A logo is a tangible symbol of the brand, no different than the narrative (a poetic description of BG as a place and what it has to offer), tagline, colors and fonts. These all compliment each other and bring the brand to life.
Art is subjective, so when it comes to logos, some people will love it, some will be indifferent and some won’t like it at all. That’s OK. What’s important is what our logo and creative assets represent. Each part, down to the color and shapes, is intentional. See the "Breaking down the brand" section below.
OUR BRANDING INITIATIVE PROCESS MOVED FROM RESEARCH >>> TO STRATEGY >>> TO CREATIVITY >>> TO ACTION.
In January 2024, the Village Board adopted a new community brand that truly embodies the essence of BG. The process to uncover BG's brand began in early 2023 with extensive research by our branding partners, North Star Place Branding + Marketing.
RESEARCH >>>
STRATEGY >>>
The extensive multi-methodial research findings were analyzed to develop Buffalo Grove’s unique “DNA” and strategy statement. This positioning statement showcases what is authentic to Buffalo Grove—what differentiates Buffalo Grove from competitors—and is used to guide all brand messaging and creativity going forward.
CREATIVITY >>>All of that data is transformed into compelling creative tools that tell the Buffalo Grove story in ways that visitors, businesses and residents can understand. This phase of the project helps bring the brand to life in a visual way.
ACTION >>>
Next begins the integration of the authentic identity, not just into marketing and communications, but also into the fabric of our community and our daily lives.
Learn more about the process, research and insights in the Key Findings Report.
Each component of the creative assets is intentional and representative of the research key findings and insights.
TAGLINE >>>
This line succinctly describes the culture and character of the community and has a nice alliteration and rhythm and a friendly, positive tone
- “Smart” immediately conveys a sense of intelligence and thoughtfulness. BG is known for our incredible schools, and its home to a highly educated community (over 88% of residents have some level of post-secondary education!) "Smart" suggests that Buffalo Grove is a community that values knowledge and makes informed decisions.
- "With Heart" adds a human touch to the line, conveying that the community is not just about intellect but also about being warm, inviting and accepting of all residents. Heart also encapsulates the care and compassion of our community that we see each and every day, whether it be through our service organizations, fundraisers/philanthropic efforts or tailored programs and services.
- This versatile line can be applied to various aspects of community life, from education and business to social initiatives and events. It can serve as a unifying message for the entire community.
- The all-lowercase design reinforces the line and the friendly tone of the overall logo.
CREATIVE ASSETS>>>
- Vibrant leaves
- Reinforces the beautiful physical environment.
- Represents interconnectedness and diversity.
- Wordmark
- Customized letter forms have a friendly and welcoming feel and unique personality.
- Offers a fresh look without being too modern.
- Colors
- Shades of green reinforce the community's love and appreciation for the parks, greenspace and connectivity.
- Blue/turquoise represent the feeling of tranquility, peace and safety.
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- Buffalo
- You can't have Buffalo Grove without a buffalo. Research found this imagery to be a strong part of BG's identity. The "grove", however, was equally if not more important, which is why you see the leaf pattern prominently featured and carried throughout all assets.
- This modern buffalo icon showcases progress with the forward movement represented in diagonal stripes.
- BG monogram
- Buffalo Grove is known by the community and surrounding region as "BG." Sometimes that's all you need to reference.
- The BG monogram provides design flexibility when a simplified asset can be used and still be easily recognized.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not around. In other words, your reputation! Just like people or products, communities have reputations based on all the different experiences people have had with a community over time. Branding is the process of changing, clarifying, refining or improving that reputation.
The first step in our community branding initiative is conducting research to figure out what BG’s existing reputation is. At the same time, we will conduct research to determine BG’s greatest strengths and what makes our community special and unique. This allows us to look at where we are reputation-wise and where we want to be based on our greatest strengths. We can then come up with creative tools, strategies and advocacy programs that help close the gap between the two.
A new brand is not a means to solve problems. What branding can do is focus people on the positive differentiators in Buffalo Grove, which can help us stand out as a preferred location. The stronger and more defined our reputation, the more people will want to live, do business and visit here.
If pictures are your preferred way to tell your story, post a picture of you, your family and friends at a favorite Buffalo Grove hangout. Post both stories and pictures on Instagram at #AuthenticBG. The best pictures might even be used in a social media campaign associated with the roll-out of the new brand!
If you really have a passion to help with this process, sign up to become a Buffalo Grove Brand Ambassador below. Ambassadors are kept updated on the project and given the tools to spread the good word about Buffalo Grove within their own personal spheres of influence.