By Christine Bryant
Staff Writer
By next year, residents may see a new look to Prairie Township’s branded identity.
An interest in replacing signs at I-270 and West Broad Street sparked an idea among Prairie Township Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) members to take swapping out the signs a step further, said James Jewell, township administrator.
“The CIC board decided since they were planning to invest the money into these permanent signs that they wanted to explore branding options,” he said.
The goal of the project would be to create a uniform, unique identity that defines what the township stands for in the community, Jewell said.
“We are looking to rebrand our logos and create consistencies in uniforms, advertising and all township materials, including our website,” he said.
Earlier this summer, the township offered surveys to three target groups – township employees and leadership, business owners and nonprofit leaders, and residents and township workers.
“The survey asked respondents about their connection with the township, their engagement with the township, their likes and dislikes about the township, and what makes the township special to them,” Jewell said.
The township received 168 responses of which the information received will be used in the next phase of the project.
“We received a lot of great, positive responses that will help us to better define Prairie Township in this re-branding journey,” Jewell said. “It has been extremely helpful to learn the township’s strengths and weaknesses in what we provide to our residents and areas that we can improve on beyond the re-branding project itself.”
There are six total phases planned currently in the project:
●Discovery and research, in which stakeholders are engaged to better understand what makes Prairie Township unique. This information will guide the rebranding work for the rest of the project.
●Brand message and tagline, where brand messaging, including vision, purpose, mission and tagline, is developed.
●Brand inventory, in which all public-facing communications produced by the township are reviewed.
●Brand visualization, where a new, modern visual identity that reflects and aligns with the brand voice and message is developed.
●Website redesign, in which an easy-to-navigate website that reflects new branding is developed for the township.
●Brand implementation plan, which outlines how the brand launch will roll out.
As the rebranding project continues, Jewell says the CIC board must authorize each phase.
“We finished the first phase today,” Jewell said at the end of June. “The CIC will decide at the next meeting if they want to move forward with the next phase.”
The entire project is expected to take six months to a year to complete, and is anticipated to cost a maximum of $65,000 if each project phase is needed and authorized by the CIC, Jewell said. Funding for the project will come from the Prairie Township CIC, not from township funds.
