Stretch Out And Reach For One Walton

council members last week got the chance to see the final One Walton branding concept that has been a few years in the making.

At the start of the regular Loganville City Council meeting, Lee Garret and Debra Smith unveiled the branding that is designed to attract people to the county. Loganville got involved in the project in 2009, kicking in $10,000 of the $73,000 needed for North Star Destination Strategies to complete the project. The Monroe Downtown Development Authority contributed $20,000 and the idea was to form a brand that unified the whole county.

“People looking from the outside in don’t always see a clear message,” Garrett said, adding the branding was designed to attract people looking to set up in the county, “whether a Fortune 500 company or a family migrating from Atlanta.”

Garrett said although people weren’t aware of it, was not just in competition with other counties, such as Morgan and Greene, but also other countries like Japan and China.

Smith, who gave the presentation, said the idea is not to just unveil the brand, but to roll it out slowly and let it seep into everyday life.  The brand concept the team eventually settled on, named “stretch out,” is represented by a faceless man with his hands outstretched.

“This basic act of physically expanding our body as far apart as possible is somehow the very thing that helps pull us together,” Smith said. “It represents so much – not only how we relax and unwind – but also how we grow.”

Smith and Garrett asked that cities and companies in the county consider incorporating the One Walton brand in stationery, signage, website and social media tools - anything that can be used to represent the county as one integral unit.

“Now comes the fun part,” Smith said. “Carefully review the BrandPrint for some exciting, high impact ideas that address visitors, businesses, resident and more of the infrastructure.”

Loganville Mayor Ray Nunley said although he likes the concept and hopes it is successful, he’s reserving comment for the moment on what he expects it to achieve.

“We shall see,” he said. “Time will tell – but I do like the concept.”