Capturing the true spirit of a city.

CITY OF ST. PAUL branding

For nearly 20 years, the city of St. Paul, Nebraska’s brand was centered around its Nebraska baseball heritage; using the tagline “Batting 1000” and a logo incorporating a baseball player. The city believed it was time to refresh their brand to better align with the wealth of opportunity St. Paul has to offer.

Brand Strategy

While many Nebraska small towns have declined in population over the past decade, the City of St. Paul has continued to grow. As part of the brand strategy, we knew it was important to uncover the reason for this growth.

During our research phase, we found that the growth is due to the strong leadership team and tight-knit community who have worked together for years to ensure their city has access to big city amenities and top-notch education and health care—without losing site of their commitment to their small-town values. All this, in combination with the City’s proximity to Central Nebraska’s urban hub—Grand Island—make it an appealing place to raise a family and do business. We developed a strategy that would highlight these advantages; one that could rally together existing members of the community, as well as draw interest from visitors, prospective residents and businesses.

Brand Tagline

As part of the strategy, we developed the tagline “Our big, little community.” to serve as the towns rallying cry. It was important that the new tagline highlight the town’s many unique offerings while maintaining the charm of a tight-knit community.

Logo Design

The City of St. Paul logo was designed to have a wholesome and neighborly feel. The badge illustration—made up of iconic City structures—evokes a sense of friendliness and community.

Department Logos

To establish a consistent brand look, we developed a logo for each of the City’s departments.

Brand Expression

City Seal

In addition to the city logo, an official government seal was also designed for the City’s use. The seal design includes symbolism representative of the town’s features, history and industries—including two rivers to the North and South, a historical railroad bridge on the outskirts of town and an iconic clock in the St. Paul Historical Village.

Illustration Designs

A set of colorful illustrations was designed for the City’s website and for use on social media. Illustrations highlighted the town’s iconic features, economic industries and community offerings.

Website Design

The City’s website design had become outdated and unreliable. As part of our branding effort, we designed a new website to help tell St. Paul’s story to potential residents, visitors, and businesses; while creating a more useful and navigable experience for existing residents.