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2016 - Present
How Magnetic Brought a Small Town’s Brand to New Heights
Most towns are lucky to have a quirk or two that make them truly unique; but in Mountain Home, Arkansas, special runs wild.
The North Arkansas city selected Magnetic from a number of competing agencies to develop a comprehensive brand rollout that would aim to align the community, attract new residents, and promote the city as a bona fide travel destination.
To accomplish this, Magnetic was tasked with:
— Discovery and Research
— Messaging Strategy
— Brand Building
— Collateral Design and Content
Discovering Mountain Home
Before diving head first into the Discovery Phase, Magnetic felt it was important to experience all that Mountain Home had to offer firsthand. So off we flew to Northern Arkansas – to take in the charm, the world-class trout fishing, and of course, the warm, southern hospitality. After a series of workshops, excursions, and interviews, Magnetic confirmed what it already suspected: Mountain Home was a diamond in the rough. Just waiting to be mined, polished, and made known to the world.
Home, Mountain Home
After defining a set of unique customer personas, Magnetic developed messaging strategies that spoke to the intangible home-away-from-home nature of Mountain Home, Arkansas. Focusing on Retirees, Young Families, Outdoor Enthusiasts, and Career Seekers specifically, our writing team sought to tell a three-word story of what life in Mountain Home could be like. This is where the city’s new tagline was born.
Home, Mountain Home.
Laying a Creative Foundation
Mountain Home was in dire need of a new visual identity. Its aesthetic was outdated and disjointed from the city’s core values and aspirations. But with equity already built in to the current brand, Magnetic was tasked with striking a balance, creating a design system that paid homage to the city’s heritage while propelling Mountain Home brand into an exciting new era.
Magnetic got to work on creating a system of marks and icons for the city chamber, tourism, and the extended region as a whole.
The design team at Magnetic knew it wanted these marks to be inspired by the landscape and the geographical location of Mountain Home. But just as importantly, the system would also need to adapt easily to a variety of different applications, from signage, to apparel, and everything in between.
Magnetic also developed a mark that, at first glance, reads as ‘MH’ but also creates the shape of a home in the negative space. This iteration also features a star that represents the city’s geographical location within Arkansas.
To illustrate the adaptability of this design system, Magnetic worked with key members of Mountain Home’s Chamber of Commerce to identify various use case scenarios for mockup.
This was one of Magnetic’s most successful logo reveals in its 15 years. We traveled back to Arkansas to present and were welcomed by not only the client, but 300+ residents who couldn’t wait to see their hometown’s new visual identity. From scope to signoff, this rebrand was a privilege to be a part of.
Bringing the new Mountain Home to Life
Energized by the successful brand reveal, Magnetic got to work on a number of collateral pieces the city of Mountain Home required, including corporate stationery, editorial, travel guides and brochures, apparel, and even web layouts.
A Premier Production for a Premier Destination
With our design system set, it was time to get to work on content creation. In just a weeklong production, Magnetic captured tons of photo and video content that the city could leverage across all its communication channels.
Magnetic also delivered a narrative video that would function as a recruiting tool for the city and serve as a unifying piece for its current residents. The Mountain Home Brand Video was the cherry on top of a wildly successful project. It brought applause, tears, and to us, a great sense of pride
There Will Be More Mountain Homes to Climb
Mountain Home was a happy client. So happy, in fact, that it referred Magnetic to one of the major healthcare networks in Northern Arkansas. So while our work with the City of Mountain Home has come to an end for the time being, we’re so stoked to have the opportunity to continue working in and for a town that we’ve come to genuinely consider our second home.
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Brand Intelligence
- Research & Discovery
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- Brand Strategy
Creative Development
- Creative Strategy
- Creative Development
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- Measure, Report & Iterate