Bakersfield, California

Kern County, California, and itslargest city Bakersfield sounded familiar to some, but most just know of it in passing. On I-5. On the way to glitz and glamour or gigawatts. It’s a place famous for the Bakersfield Sound but also breaking the sound barrier. The city, county and private sector partners wanted people to know the region holds the opportunities to rival those along the coasts, paired with price tags that don’t cause sticker shock. And it sits just above Los Angeles County.

Critical Insight

North Star research revealed that it is the rare place in California where you can still have it all, minus the shared apartments and hours-long traffic. And though many limelight seekers and startup founders only pass through, those who stay find a chance at the American Dream. Blessed with natural resources and great weather, families have long harnessed the gifts of Kern County’s giving ground to fill dinner tables and fuel communities. The county is the statewide leader in agriculture and renewable energy. Although unattributed to the county, East Kern has technological capabilities such as aeronautics, space exploration, defense systems, and more that are unrivaled across the globe.

Brand Identity

North Star identified a strategic positioning and developed creative tools that allow Bakersfield to invite audiences to listen for the Sound of Something Better along these famous streets and Kern County to encourage folks to understand the Grounded and Boundless opportunity offered here.

The Bakersfield icon creates subtle ties to the musical history of the city and supports the line with a container that is reminiscent of the shape of a guitar pick and horizontal lines that evoke guitar strings or a musical staff where notes are placed in sheet music. The line is a genuine invitation to find something better in Bakersfield, a place where you can comfortably, affordably reach your dreams and goals.

With individuality and integration in mind, the Kern County logo is created from the same base font as Bakersfield creating a connection between the two. However, the font is crafted in a different way to support the county’s unique DNA and line. It is more vertically scaled with customized first and last letters extended to create a visual representation of the Grounded and Boundless line. Like the line, the logo is reaching up to a limitless future from a strongly rooted foundation.