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New Logo, New Look
1/18/07 |
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Do you notice anything different? We hope so. Early last fall, with plans for the nature center at Scully seemingly on track, Seatuck launched an effort to redesign its logo, stationary, newsletter, Web site and other publications. The goal was to create a fresher, more up-to-date and professional look as we prepared to spread the word about the organization and the undertaking at Scully. People in the business call the process “corporate re-branding”. It all started with the new logo. The old “logo” – a heron standing among marsh grasses – was really just a piece of commercial clipart placed next to our name. It wasn’t an original creation and included a bird that too many people already associate with the National Audubon Society. The new logo, on the other hand, is an original image created by Board member Steve Terr and features a bird, the Least Tern, which no other conservation organization is already using. After considering (literally) dozens of other ideas, the Least Tern was chosen for several reasons. First, it’s a bird that can be found along coastal areas across Long Island, so it fits with Seatuck’s island-wide mission. Second, the Least Tern forages on and along coastal marshes, so it fits with the organization’s new home at the marshy Scully Sanctuary. And finally, it is a bird that Seatuck has a history with. In the early 1980s, the organization’s predecessor, the Seatuck Research Program, launched what became the annual Colonial Waterbird Survey and, as part of that survey, conducted some of the first research on the Least Tern populations on Long Island. The data collected by Seatuck helped support the bird’s listing as a threatened species in New York. The tag line “Conserving Long Island Wildlife” was added to the tern image to convey Seatuck’s full mission and to prevent the impression that the organization is focused solely on birds. When the logo was complete, we turned our attention to Seatuck’s stationary, business cards, website and membership brochure, all of which were redesigned. The website – at www.seatuck.org – has been completely overhauled. It features a clean, simple look, easy access to our program schedule, and a new Seatuck blog, where members can find the most up-to-date information about Scully, special events or conservation issues on Long Island. The next piece of the puzzle was the newsletter. The overhaul began with a name change. The military-sounding Seatuck Sentinel was replaced with Field Notes, a nod to the classic technique of recording observations and sketches of nature in a handheld notebook. From John James Audubon to Rachael Carson to modern day scientists, most of our understanding of nature starts with carefully recorded observation. And our love and appreciation for nature, and our desire to conserve it, all begins with observation. So “Field Notes” seemed like a good name for our newsletter. With the new name, we turned the newsletter over Pam Gurman of Fat Cat Graphics in Center Moriches. She redesigned the entire look of the publication, skillfully incorporating a “field notes” motif with modern graphic techniques and professional-looking elements. Field Notes, and perhaps some back issues of the Sentinel,will be made available on the Web site soon. The Web site has also been completely redesigned. The new design allows users easier access to information about Seatuck’s nature programs, as well as the latest news about the organization and the nature center at Scully. Another new feature of the redesigned site is From Scully, a weblog written by Seatuck staff that will provide up-to-date information about Seatuck’s programs and events, as well as developments at the nature center. The new site was created by Eric Nardone, a designer who also works on the web team at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California. We’re thrilled with our new look and hope you like it, too. We’d love some feedback – let us know what you think!
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