Steps in creating the Rhinebeck Area Chamber of Commerce logo

Creating a brand is hard work and demands dedication. It takes time to develop and finalize one custom logo design and apply it to the various corporate communications materials a business needs.

I wanted to share some of the steps that it took for us to get the Rhinebeck Area Chamber of Commerce brand launched in record time (less than 3 months):

1. A survey was made and sent out to members to get input. It’s important for outsiders to weigh-in since they almost always offer suggestions the design committee didn’t consider.

2. Many themes were explored. The final 3 were Rhinebeck’s History, tourism, and local business.

3. Visual concepts were developed such as the aerodrome, doors, keys, violets, open signs, paths, roads, hills, steps, door handles, crossroads, the chamber booth, briefcases, and windows. Although creative, most concepts became too specific and did not represent the chamber and its broader area as a whole.

4. The final logo needed to work for many years to come and appeal to various people—businesses, tourists, young and old.

5. We had several brainstorm sessions starting with visual sketches. We narrowed it down from 8 concepts to 2.

6. The last two logo treatments were finalized and applied to sample materials to aid in the final decision. We also sent them out to a small focus group to analyze their reactions.

7. The final logo has a variety of elements:
• It successfully brought together several concepts into one beautiful symbol.
• It’s elegant, conservative yet modern, integrates the letter R (Rhinebeck) and A (Area). The arrow represents movement, a larger area, and an upward/business icon.
• The font was explored indepth and the final choice complemented the icon but did not fight with it.
• Each element of the logo has its own level of importance.
• The second choice logo that did not make the final cut though it had a modern shield component everyone liked. It wasn't used because it was about the past. However, when the "R" of the other logo was put into the shield it became a powerful secondary brand graphic for member stickers, invitations, bus cards, napkins, weblinks, etc...

If you have any questions about the logo or would like a new corporate identity development system and logo of your own, give us a call for a free consultation or go to namaro.com.