LaBelle Link

Client: Pickwick, MN

Date: August 2019

Production Technique: RICOH 7110SX Digital Press, Epilog Laser Helix, Large Format Inkjet, Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign

Description: A small organization in Pickwick, MN representing the community mill and lake, reached out to our campaign class needing a rebrand. They were looking for a new organization name, logo, tagline, and a three step plan for promotion. They needed a plan for gaining community trust, educating the community on their plans and goals, and garner community input for the future of the lake in Pickwick. I was partnered with Amy Nelson for this project. We came up with a step by step plan, a way to increase their social media presence and garner the community’s trust.

We came up with the new organization name LaBelle Link, this name is multifaceted. A link to the lake, to the mill, to the community, and to the history of the community. The graphic elements in the logo are milkweed, an important ecological element to the lake, along with that monarch butterflies were heavily emphasized during the meeting so those are included in various elements as well. We were also informed of an important community member, named Opal Fitch. She was leading the charge within Pickwick to preserve the lake and the mill. It was very important to the organization to highlight her contributions and create some type of memorial in her honor. (Which is shown in the butterfly silhouette.)

Our plan included having and presence at the annual Pickwick Mill Day, followed by a photo contest, kid-friendly activities, giveaway, survey, and a series of educational social media posts. During the small festival, we formulated a survey for community members to fill out and submit for a chance to win a handmade cyanotype, made by my partner and myself. The photo contest was a way for people to to see their updated and active facebook page, if their photo received the most likes, they won a gift card from a local shop. Once the event had ended and the data had been counted, it was placed on social media to let the public know the results. Following this, we had organized a set of posts called ‘Teachable Tuesdays’ which would be uploaded weekly, with information about the lake, mainly targeting children. (This was a favorite element because two of the women in the organization were former teachers.) Overall, the event went off without a hitch and the organization members were thrilled with the results.