Puslinch is moving onto the next stage of its brand development exercise.
On Aug. 15 councillors here were updated on the progress of the branding and logo development work.
Aubs and Mugg Inc. creative director Matthew Aubie provided an update of the initial survey and proposed additional surveys that will provide more focus.
Aubie said over 300 responses were received from both residents and non-residents during the initial survey, which asked open-ended questions on what the township meant to them and what they considered memorable.
At the same time the survey gathered demographic information from respondants.
Aubie said non-residents consistently described Puslinch as quiet, peaceful, and rural.
He said residents consistently described Puslinch as peaceful, community-focused and balanced.
Aubie said there was not a huge difference from the non-resident view, but it does provide a bit more insight.
Along with those comments, Aubie said two additions include hard-working and industrious.
“When you live outside of Puslinch you can see the nature and the wide open spaces, but you may not see the industry which happens here,” he said.
Aubie said the next survey uses messages based on responses from the initial survey.
“The whole goal of the survey is to get unbiased thoughts and opinions,” he said.
That will help his company evaluate how correct it was in interpreting the results of the initial survey.
Example statements in the next survey include:
– The residents of the Township of Puslinch are industrious people.
– The Township of Puslinch represents what it means to live a balanced life.
– The Township of Puslinch’s history is equally as important as its future.
– Nature is one of the Township of Puslinch’s most valuable features.
– The Township of Puslinch is a family-friendly place to live and visit.
– The Township of Puslinch community is progressing together.
– The Township of Puslinch represents the rewards of hard work.
In addition the survey will include statements seeking responses on a scale of one to 10 (10 being complete agreement, and one being complete disagreement):
– The Township of Puslinch was built by hard-working people. Over time, the hands and hearts of this community developed meaning and purpose for the township. Today, the township is a place which honours its past, lives in the moment, and plans for the future.
– Tucked away behind Ontario’s finest nature lives a growing community. The Township of Puslinch is a hidden treasure many drive through and the fortunate drive to.
– The Township of Puslinch represents the greatest qualities of balanced living; a stone’s throw from Canada’s most bustling urban areas, and tucked away in Ontario’s tranquil landscape.
Responses will be used to help draft master messaging for the township.
Aubie offered a number of images to potentially represent the township and possible updates to the township crest.
“Our goal here is not to identify a winning visual identity direction, but to learn how respondents feel about various approaches and elements.”
He said the surveys will ask whether the proposed crest alterations improve the design or better reflect the township as it now exists.
Aubie said that using feedback from messaging and visual surveys, the team will build three fully-developed brand packages.
These packages will show the brand in real situations.
Aubie said examples will be on display at the Aberfoyle Farmers’ Market twice in September to generate more input to further refine the design.
Councillor Susan Fielding said the presentation provides a lot of food for thought.
“I’ve seen parts I like and others I do not in almost every design (provided) so it will be interesting to see what people will come up with,” she said, noting that some concerns were raised by residents on the possible changing of the township crest.
“A lot of people remember when the crest was designed and the work which went into it,” she said.
Aubie said how the brand is launched remains crucial so that businesses and residents integrate the brand into their lives rather than have it thrust upon them.
Fielding also asked how much further input will be sought from non-residents.
While she believed input is important “in the end I think it should be our residents who should be making the main decision.”
Aubie said the secondary surveys include questions as to whether the responder is from Puslinch.
The same applies to input received at the farmers market.
“For non-residents … it is less important that the brand represents what they think it is – the real value is creating a brand which is memorable and identifiable,” he said.
“With residents, we are looking for a sense of ownership.”
Councillor Ken Roth asked if 300 responses was considered good.
Aubie responded “… for the size of the township, definitely.”
He said the response number was based on the number of people completing the survey, noting that over 60 per cent of those responding were willing to be contacted further.
The average, he said, is about 20%.
“It connects to the population size and true interest in where this goes,” Aubie said.
Councillor Matthew Bulmer was initially sceptical, but has become more comfortable with the exercise.
He asked about the demographics of the responses.
Aubie said response to the survey was heavily skewed to older the demographic.
As a result, he said there was an investment into social media to attract responses from a younger audience.
