CITY OF MARION

Marion Design Co. set out to help the community rediscover its identity and potential by creating a brand rooted in the people of Marion, designed to restore pride, hope, and momentum alongside the new vision of Mayor Jess Alumbaugh. The city was not broken, but fragmented—full of strong, diverse parts that needed a unifying framework to move forward together. Our role was to help the community see the bigger picture and recognize its collective strength. We developed a strategic brand campaign using refreshed colors, typography, logo development, and clear standards to tell a forward-looking story—the story of champions. Rather than masking the past, the brand emerged from Marion’s existing character and values. Built from within the community, it offered a tangible goal and a shared language—one that invited residents to see themselves not as disconnected pieces, but as contributors to Marion’s next chapter.

Because this brand needed to be built with the people of Marion, our process began by listening. Before any design work started, Marion Design Co. spent an entire summer engaging the community through conversations and surveys to understand how residents truly experienced their city. What emerged was not a broken community, but one that was misperceived, segmented, and under-realized—yet united by shared values of care, vitality, and tenacious hope. Our role was to help surface those values and create momentum through honesty, collaboration, and accountability. Central to this work was encouraging people to share their stories, recognizing that a thriving community is formed when individuals see how their unique contributions strengthen the whole. With this understanding, we turned to the city itself for visual inspiration. Studying Marion on foot and from above, we identified the Jeffersonian grid as a defining structure—distinct pieces forming a cohesive whole. Repeating patterns, textures, and spatial relationships informed the final mark, guided by principles of figure and ground, proximity, closure, containment, foundation, and harmony.

The final identity centers on a logo that combines a suspension bridge with a typographic emphasis on the “more” in Wymore—visually expressing the company’s role in helping leaders move from inspiration to transformation. The mark is layered with meaning: the bridge’s arch subtly forms a “W,” strengthening brand recognition when the icon stands alone, while the vertical lines reference the incremental steps required for meaningful change. The form also carries a quiet resemblance to a crown, reflecting the dignity and confidence found in pursuing one’s potential. Sleek, modern letterforms establish the professional and elite presence Josh Wymore envisioned, with “more” set in extra-bold to reinforce the brand’s mission and tagline. A refined color palette balances maturity and credibility with energy and momentum, anchored by a confident core orange. Supporting typography—Raleway and Open Sans—was selected for clarity, accessibility, and flexibility. Expanded brand guidelines provide room for growth and creative application, and the system was fully implemented across Wymore’s website, aligning the digital experience with the brand’s renewed clarity and purpose.