Cactus recently completed a branding project for Greater Zion Convention and Tourism Office. Washington County, Utah, is home to Zion National Park, the fourth most visited national park in the country. But it's also home to many other beautiful state parks, national conservation areas and communities that don't have the same recognition or garner equal attention. Visitors come, breeze through Zion, and check it off their tourist to-do list. They don't stick around to explore the region because they're unaware of the stunning beauty and adventure that surrounds them. Washington County doesn't have a visitation problem - it has a distribution problem.
The Washington County Convention and Tourism Office asked the agency to create a branding program for the destination that included everything from naming to logo design, to style guide and video, to print and digital marketing communications.
Cactus decided to move away from the name 'Washington County' and lean into Zion, to create a platform big enough for the rest of the county to have a voice. In May of 2019, Cactus introduced 'Greater Zion' as a destination brand to familiarize the public with this broader area. This name not only capitalizes on the equity of the world-renowned national park within its borders, but it also gives context and a unified voice to the county's communities and allows to celebrate the area's diverse tourism offerings, spread visitation throughout the region and entice visitors to stay longer.
The agency created a modern, minimal mark that could unite several interests as a singular, iconic brand. The idea was to use Utah itself as a logo - a bold-bordered outline of the state's unique shape serves as a frame for all of the communications with a type that accurately places the name 'Greater Zion' in the Southwest corner of the state. That way, the logo serves as a subliminal geography lesson while also looking pretty.
The frame also gives the mark flexibility to be more than just an icon in the corner of a layout. As a decorative border for print ads and other components, it's as an integral part of the art direction that highlights the variety of content that makes Greater Zion special.
Images: Courtesy of Cactus