As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary in a couple of years, you may begin to think about your own municipality’s anniversary. Whether it was founded 200 years ago or incorporated only a few decades ago, it is important to look back on where your community came from and exciting to imagine where it will go.

One engaging way to commemorate your community’s anniversary is through a special logo. An anniversary logo does not permanently replace your brand, since the anniversary number is only accurate for one year. However, if your community needs a brand refresh, an upcoming anniversary is a great catalyst to get things started.

Creating an Anniversary Brand

As North Star client Santee, California approached their 40th anniversary, they wanted to develop a new city brand that more accurately reflected the community they were today—with an anniversary logo that led the charge. The process began by capturing community and competitor thoughts through research and succinctly defining their essence, which provided the foundation for the development of creative elements, such as a strapline, city logo, and messaging. Then, an anniversary logo was developed to correspond with the new city brand. What distinguishes Santee’s project from many others is that the anniversary logo was an integral part of the brand rollout process.

Seamless Transition from Anniversary Brand to Community Brand

Community logos can be an emotional topic because residents care for and protect where they live fiercely, as they should! When you celebrate an anniversary, there are naturally positive emotions and pride tied to the occasion—and, therefore, are often tied to an anniversary brand. The positive sentiment surrounding the anniversary brand can create a feeling of seamlessness as you integrate those brand elements into the municipal brand.

Leveraging Your Anniversary to Create Brand Buy-In

Maybe your situation is different than Santee’s. You have an existing brand that the community embraces, and you don’t need a new brand. That’s great! You can still use an anniversary to further brand buy-in and community engagement. Your community’s anniversary is the perfect opportunity to communicate your brand story. The history of your community is an integral part of your brand DNA. Creating a brand is one example of the many steps your leaders have taken to progress toward the future. Tell this story to your residents, and encourage them to tell their stories too.

Celebrating Your Community Anniversary

Year-long campaigns are a fun way to celebrate your community’s anniversary, but they can be cost-prohibitive. There are plenty of budget-friendly options to make the anniversary fun for your community. Celebratory events are common in these instances and provide good opportunities for placemaking. You could throw a parade, host a community mural painting, or dedicate a park. Engage residents and businesses by letting them celebrate their anniversaries in the community with branded merchandise. Promote a social media campaign that encourages your residents to post their favorite memories with a branded hashtag. As you look to what’s next, preserve the trends of the current era in a time capsule to be opened on a future anniversary.

Planning for an Anniversary

Build anticipation within your community by preparing for your anniversary in advance. While many activations can be done with a relatively short notice, we recommend that you start thinking about your community anniversary plans three to five years in advance. This leaves time for budgetary planning, a branding process, development of an anniversary logo, and event coordination. Have your plan and brand elements finalized and ready six months before your anniversary celebration begins.

As you prepare for your community’s anniversary, let us help you create a brand and plan that ensures excitement and engagement across the community.