Creating an identity for Creston

Creating a cohesive identity for Creston is in the works, and its results could be seen by the end of the year.

The Update Uptown committee is working to use the BOOST grant received last March on new city branding. Committee member and UCDA director Mindy Stalker has been involved in the process for a while, including helping to get the grant.

“It’s a grant through IEDA,” Stalker said. “It was a $10,000 grant, but it required $5,000 in matching funds from the community. Originally we had talked about using it to focus on the design for the linear park on Adams Street, but then in the midst of all of that came the Neighborhood Revitalization Grant opportunity, which kind of caused us to shift a little bit.”

The group met with Jim Thompson of the Iowa Economic Development Authority to discuss options and the recommendation of creating a brand for Creston came to the forefront. Thompson set them up with Arnett Muldrow, a marketing firm from South Carolina.

“[Thompson] was coordinating with the city of Carroll at the same time as us, so he coordinated those visits to work together. We decided to go that route, so Jim helped us coordinate with Ben Muldrow and he spent Wednesday and Thursday here in Creston,” Stalker said. “He did a driving tour and a walking tour of our community, and then we had some focus groups come in and just kind of share their thoughts on the community. On Thursday, he provided a presentation with his thoughts and recommendations.”

While Update Uptown isn’t ready to share the firm’s findings yet, Stalker said they’re excited to move forward.

“There’s potential there will be a new Creston logo and city seal and uptown branding all in place through this process,” Stalker said. “We will get together in November and kind of follow up with Ben and provide any feedback. Once we feel comfortable with the recommendations in place, then the Update Uptown committee will make the presentation to the council for them to vote on whether they would like to adopt this branding component.”

The earliest the information would go to the city council is Nov. 19, though the date isn’t certain. If approved, parts of the branding could be implemented immediately.

“All the files would be digital, so it would just be a matter of getting the right people in place to start with updates. I would imagine you would start seeing a bunch of digital updates prior to physical updates,” Stalker said.

Physical signage would take longer, but Stalker hopes to incorporate the changes into other grants currently being worked on.

“That’s the great thing about this, we’re still in the beginning phases of the Neighborhood Revitalization Grant, so any physical plans for that we can certainly incorporate, if we move forward, we can start incorporating that into our plans,” Stalker said.

Creating a city-wide brand is something various groups have talked about in the past. Stalker explained creating a brand brings unity and a cohesiveness to the city that isn’t currently there.

“There’s something to be said about just the pride and the ownership that comes with having a well-established brand and vision to unify areas,” Stalker said. “Establishing a brand for your community, it’s not just about aesthetics. It’s about coming together through identifying with this model, with this logo. I feel like there’s really something that’s unifying about it.”