Huntsville Brand
Huntsville, Ontario, stands as the largest community in the Muskoka region. Despite its prominence, Huntsville lacked a distinct municipal identity, especially compared to neighboring towns.
TWG was commissioned to design their new community brand to be used for town wayfinding, tourism promotion, economic development, investment attraction, and citizen retention. This new visual identity needed to be complimentary to the towns existing branding but also dynamic and distinct.
The project called for extensive consultation with the community and stakeholder groups. To gather perceptions and preferences from the community, two surveys were designed. One for stakeholder groups consisting of community and governing bodies, and a second for use with the broader community. Both surveys were constructed to elicit respondent’s perceptions of Huntsville, what town qualities they valued, preferences regarding colour, and their thoughts on other municipal brands.
The findings made it clear that the brand needed to showcase the town’s natural beauty with a bold, vibrant, and contemporary look, reflecting Huntsville as a progressive, diverse, inclusive, and welcoming community.
With this, several concepts were developed and refined to meet the project brief and the desires of the community. Through a collaborative effort with town stakeholders, the favoured concept was chosen and it was further refined.
With the final rendition, the natural elements of the area are visible… water, forest, the seasons. There’s a subtle recognition of the District of Muskoka and nearby Algonquin Park. The use of vibrant, playful colors makes the brand feel warm and welcoming, highlighting diversity and inclusion, the town’s rich history, and its four-season appeal. The diamond grid is inspired by Huntsville’s iconic swing bridge with its prominent diamond railings and truss. This all comes together to create a contemporary eye-catching visual identity.