Blacksburg Launches New Branding
The Town of Blacksburg announced today a refreshed visual brand system, updating its identity and recognition in our community.
In March of this year, the Town of Blacksburg partnered with Arnett Muldrow & Associates, a nationally recognized branding firm, to capture the character and spirit that make Blacksburg a welcoming, innovative, and creative place to work, study, and live.
Over the past five months, a project team comprised of town and community stakeholders engaged in conversations and input workshops with community groups to better identify and characterize what makes Blacksburg unique and beloved by citizens and visitors alike. The feedback gathered during this process informed the direction and style of the new brand and focuses on elevating four main brand pillars to support Blacksburg’s refreshed identity moving forward.
Brand Pillars: Mountains and Outdoors elevate the natural landscape that shapes our community and its easy integration into daily life. Small Town Warmth, a recognized trait Blacksburg retains despite its growing size, where neighbors know neighbors and community members support one another. College Town Energy recognizes the intellectual curiosity, youthful energy, entrepreneurial thinking, and a culture of innovation that touches every corner of the community, and purposefully acknowledges our neighbor, Virginia Tech. And finally, Creative Spirit, appreciating the arts, craft, and music that weave through Blacksburg’s community fabric.
A Unified Vision
Blacksburg’s Parks and Recreation Department and one of its facilities, The Hill Golf Course, have historically utilized department-specific logos. Blacksburg’s new brand creates a cohesive, more consistent representation for the town by strengthening the visual connection between the Parks and Recreation department and the overall Town identity. Sharing the same color palette and similar icon allows Parks and Recreation to be quickly identifiable as a Town department, while retaining the flexibility, playfulness, and energy central to the work of the department.
This project included coordination with key community partners to support a unified brand that extends beyond the town government. Downtown Blacksburg Inc. (DBI), which works to promote and enhance the downtown commercial district through events and marketing; Main Street Connect, an organization that represents and connects Blacksburg businesses beyond the Downtown area; and the Blacksburg Partnership, the engine that supports economic development and tourism opportunities in Blacksburg, received updated and refreshed brand identities. Using shared colors and messaging reinforces a visual continuity between the organizations and supports a holistic identity for the Town.
This initiative additionally provided a logo identity for The Local, the Town’s new retail incubator that supports small businesses, hosts community events, and serves as a hub for visitor information. Managed by DBI, The Local will serve as a physical space to help showcase the town’s refreshed, shared identity.
“This work has done more than create a new logo,” said Town Manager Marc Verniel. “It establishes an intentional brand system that brings together the organizations that help shape Blacksburg. This brand reflects the warmth, energy, inspiration, and natural setting that make our community special.”
Brand rollout will occur in phases; the community will see the emergence of Blacksburg’s new brand throughout the coming year. For more information, and to view examples of the new brand, visit letstalkblacksburg.org/blacksburgbrand.
