Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Spectators at this weekend’s Sesquicentennial Parade will be the first to see which design has been selected to serve as the new downtown Presque Isle logo.
Images courtesy of PIDRC
DOWNTOWN PRESQUE ISLE’S new logo will be officially unveiled during the Star City’s Sesquicentennial Parade, scheduled for noon on Saturday, Aug. 15. The two design options were announced during a Rotary Club meeting earlier this year, with the public encouraged to vote for their favorite in the months that followed. Above, the two images depict various aspects the region —snowflakes for winter recreation; and a yellow, blue and green theme for the area’s landscape, including farmland and waterways — is recognized for each, incorporating a star in recognition of the community’s designation as “The Star City.”
“The parade that will celebrate Presque Isle’s 150th anniversary on Saturday, Aug. 15, will also mark the start of a new era for the Star City’s downtown, as a new logo for the unique destination will be introduced to the community for the first time,” said Jason Parent, member of the Presque Isle Downtown Revitalization Committee’s Promotion Committee.
The idea for a new logo originated with the Presque Isle Downtown Revitalization Committee who worked with an Aroostook County graphic artist to come up with possible options. Two designs were created — one with a cascading star-shaped snowflake theme representing the city’s winter activities, the other features a yellow, blue and green star representative of the community’s agricultural heritage and waterways — and unveiled at a Presque Isle Rotary Club meeting earlier this year, with the public allowed to vote on their favorite. The PIDRC decided both options should include stars, incorporating the theme of “The Star City” into each layout.
This weekend’s unveiling comes after a public vote held both online and at venues throughout the city in late spring. Residents were asked to select between two final design options that were created following a four-month-long process during which extensive input was sought from the local community and surrounding region, with a concerted effort to hear from businesspeople in the downtown.
The logo and slogan garnering the largest number of votes will be displayed on a banner carried through the parade by Presque Isle youth who participated in the city’s summer recreation program and were selected by the Recreation Department for the honor. In addition to marching the banner down Main St. at noon, the new logo will “go live” on the Presque Isle Downtown Revitalization Web site at www.pidrc.org as the parade gets under way.
“We are very much looking forward to not only introducing the new logo and slogan to the community and world, but to seeing it become a highly-recognizable symbol of the downtown in the months and years to come. It will be used on gateway and way-finding signage, in promotional materials, electronically and at events held in the downtown. This is a significant step forward in the ongoing efforts to revitalize the center of our city,” said Cathy Beaulieu, PIDRC chair.
According to Beaulieu, members of the PIDRC will deliver window decals featuring the new logo and slogan to businesses in the downtown immediately following the parade.
The two logos and slogans were created by a Fort Kent design firm.
“Heidi Carter, owner and creative director of County-based design firm Heidesign, created the logo options. Carter is responsible for developing logos for a number of County businesses and organizations, including the 2004 Biathlon World Cup in Fort Kent that earned her an American Graphic Design Award,” Beaulieu said.
Carter was selected as the successful designer from among proposals submitted to the PIDRC’s Promotion Committee at the beginning of the year, according to Parent.
“Working collaboratively with the Committee, she held a series of forums with area leaders, business owners and community members in the Star City in early March that served as both a fact-finding opportunity for her and a chance for the public to provide input,” said Parent.
Carter used the meetings to gather information on what people wanted the designs to represent.
“Through the various forums that were set up and meeting with different people, I walked away with a very positive impression of Presque Isle — the landscape, the seasons, the people and existing branding all played a role in the development of the two choices presented for community vote,” Carter said.
In discussing the tagline she developed — Shine on. Good Times. — Carter explained that effective slogans call people to action and evoke an emotion.
“Downtown Presque Isle has creative and interesting shops and fun places to eat, and the reintroduction of the Braden Theatre and the coming opening of the Wintergreen Arts Center have created additional attractions,” Carter said. “In many ways, Presque Isle is a beacon for the rest of the County — it shines on and so do the people who come to visit. The variety available in the downtown area allows for good times to be spent with family and friends.”
For more information, contact Beaulieu at 764-0309.
