To reconnect with people and celebrate the state’s unique environments, Washington State Parks has undergone a brand refresh. It now has a new logo that strengthens the belief that the outdoors should be welcoming and accessible to all.
The new logo represents the range of memories and emotions that ties seasoned nature enthusiasts and first-time adventurers, among others, to these remarkable places. People People, a Seattle-based creative agency, delivered a new visual identity. It developed a survey to help shape the logo. Respondents reflected on deep emotional connections to their state parks, and many shared their memories and experiences in the outdoors.
Kate Schenot, a strategist at People People, said the research allowed the agency to test the visual ideas like in this landscape, could someone imagine getting married while another remembers nursing heartbreak; would this image feel like it could encompass the best moment in someone’s life, and yet also offer someone peace and healing from the worst pain; can it look like a fun place for a casual jog, while also feeling appropriate as a place of profound feeling.
The feedback helped give shape to geographic fiction. It combines elements from western and eastern Washington, such as Mount Spokane, columnar basalt formations, picturesque coastlines, and the official state tree – the Western Hemlock.
People People modified the layout and typography and updated the color palette with brighter, warmer tones. It opted for GT Walsheim as the primary supporting font for readability and subtle nostalgic nods. People People gave the shield a curved shape to soften the overall composition, reoriented the text to sit at the bottom for unity and legibility, and highlighted a small 1913 to represent the year the Parks was founded.
Stephanie McDermott, brand and creative lead at Washington State Parks said they began the rebranding process from a place of curiosity. “Brand is about emotion and perception – but how do you catalog a feeling? How do you quantify a moment? We started with memories and asked people from all around the state to share their favorite state parks and memories.”
McDermott shared the new brand would need to allow for all of the feelings to coexist. “It needed to be able to be filled with the unique emotion and circumstances of each person and each day, yet still fiercely, proud and recognizably Washington.”
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