The Sautee Nacoochee Center has adopted a “brand” new identity. At its annual board meeting in April, the Center unveiled a new logo and tagline. It’s part of a rebranding effort to draw more visitors and encourage them to learn about the area.
Needed a refresh
Board member Cindy Grace worked on the project with the Center’s marketing committee for more than a year. She describes when she realized the brand needed a refresh.
“I was going to download the Center’s logo to use in some decorations for an event, and I realized that the Center was using several different logos interchangeably. After 40 years in advertising, I immediately knew that this breaks the cardinal rule of good branding,” says Grace.
Grace’s friend, Dr. Jennifer Griffith, teaches the combined public relations and advertising campaigns class at UGA’s Grady College of Journalism. Griffith agreed to take on the Center as a client for the winter semester in 2023.
The students did extensive research and identified several issues. They found the Sautee Nacoochee Center was not well recognized outside of White County despite being the only organization of its kind in Northeast Georgia. They also discovered that the Center used various names in its communications, which was confusing. Finally, the students concluded that the Nacoochee Valley Indian Mound, which had been central to the Center’s logo since its founding in the 1980s, was being mistaken for Hardman Farm State Historic Site.
The Center’s marketing committee set out to change these perceptions.
New logo
One of the biggest issues the committee tackled was the logo redesign. They decided the Nacoochee Schoolhouse, which was built in 1928 and is unique to itself, best represents the Sautee Nacoochee Center. The new logo gives a nod to the Center’s original logo, designed by Sam Williams of Sautee.
“We are so lucky to have Tom Sapp design our new logo. Most people are familiar with his work if they’ve ever seen the Chick-fil-A logo or know Hairy Dawg, the University of Georgia’s mascot,” says Grace.
Since none of the various iterations of the Center’s name indicated that it was regional, the committee determined that it would be known as the Sautee Nacoochee Center with the tagline “A Regional Cultural and Environmental Destination.”
The committee expects the consistent use of one name will make the Center more readily identifiable. Adding “regional” to the tagline shows that the Sautee Nacoochee Center is for everyone, not just residents of the Sautee Nacoochee Valley community.
‘Crackerjack marketing team’
“It is thrilling to see the hard work of our crackerjack marketing team come to fruition,” says Grace. “It is a new look for the Center that we feel is vibrant and more accurately reflects who we are and what we mean to our members and those who live in and visit the area.”
The Sautee Nacoochee Center will use the new branding in advertising, emails, the website, and signage. The organization hopes it will generate new business and help preserve the area’s history and culture for future generations.
Located at 283 Highway 255 North in Sautee, the Sautee Nacoochee Center houses several museums, including the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia, an African American Heritage Site, and the Nacoochee History Museum. The Center also has a Native Peace Garden and theater and supports the community with scheduled programs and activities.
