Initiative

Chris facilitated creation of a new brand for the Village. It’s an important step in moving toward a vision established in the Economic Development Strategy:

We are the affordable, family-friendly village building a new future in housing, quality of place, tourism, and a unique work-live downtown. We will be a key employment centre in a Columbia Valley that reconnects people to nature….and each other.

Creating jobs, tourism development, and enhancing community amenities that have recreational property owners (50% of property ownership in the Village) spending more or full-time in the Village in future are core elements of the Economic Development Strategy. So is affordable housing innovation that will help attract families, creative folks and independent entrepreneurs who work in Canal Flats or the Valley. A full-time population of 1000 people within 10 years is a quantitative target.

This direction is important to all current residents. Jobs creative new opportunities. The school can remain open. More tax revenue helps all taxpayers more affordably pay for everything from pipes under the ground to the arena. Re-building the Village Centre is important to the community’s soul. More people drives demand for new commercial services that avoid having people drive elsewhere to get them.

So why start with a logo?

1) Canal Flats needed to change the conversation in the market – from a mill closure community to a progressive, forward looking community that is stepping boldly into the future. This requires a dynamic image. Clean, simple, and colourful is important. First impression is important.
2) Consumer research indicates that positive image is directly correlated with consumer purchasing behaviour. Research also indicates that consumers have a positive or negative impression of key marketing tools like websites within 1/10th of a second.
3) Canal Flats is selling a vision to investors, entrepreneurs, visitors, etc. who have to imagine things that aren’t there yet. Seeking pioneers and homesteaders requires image and salesmanship that is positioned for the future.

The logo work is an interpretation of mountain peaks in the top portion of the icon – but in a more stylistic and distinctive way (in the genre of modern logo work like Nike) compared to other mountain communities. The bottom portion of the icon reflects water waves in abstract form, signifying the Columbia Lake and Kootenay River. In total, some interpret the icon as a bird – conveying nature and the free spirit of the surrounding mountain rise. Some interpret the icon as a fishing fly – which connects to the Kootenay River as a key distinguishing geographic feature of the community. Bright colouring conveys dynamism. Blue and green colouring of the word mark reflects association with water (blue), and coniferous trees (green).