A Note from Amy McGuire, Executive Director / May 16th 2023

 

Out with the old and in with the new! At the 2023 Annual Member Celebration, LLA revealed a new logo that will be rolling out in the coming weeks and featured in our new office space, set to open later this year.

Since the reveal, LLA has recieved lots of feedback about the logo and we’re thrilled that there has been so much support for the new look. Amy McGuire, Executive Director, took a moment to share more about the logo change and the process, decision making that helped the LLA Team, includng Board of Directors and Staff, land on the new logo.

First, we did not enter into this change lightly. We opened the original design to a crowd sourcing resource to obtain over 400 iterations of our original design. We knew the water, mountains and trees were elements we wanted to maintain as a nod to the valley that was sacrificed for the greater good. After much market polling and research through community discussions at boat shows and other events, we learned that many people drew a few conclusions about who we are. First, the sailboat was creating the idea that we were a “nautical organization”, “sailing club” or a “boating club”. Second, the overall logo is nearly identical to the City of Cumming. If we weren’t being confused for a boating club, we were being disregarded because people thought we were a “municipal organization” that operated as an extension of the City of Cumming (and their tax dollars!).

The work we do to protect Lake Lanier is extremely important to us. We also realize with it’s growing popularity and increasing demand for resources due to area development, the work we do is more important than ever before. In addition, we understand it is going to take the entire community-boaters, non-boaters, consumers, etc. to protect the 38,000 acres and almost 700 miles of shoreline. We wanted to send the message that we are a community-supported organization that is dedicated to protecting the water and all it entails. The water is the primary focus of our new logo because it is where our focus lies. We appreciated the “energy” the graphic provided. The water, to all who reviewed it and provided feedback, appeared to have an energy all its own. The movement that can be observed in the logo was symbolic of the energy we dedicate to keeping Lake Lanier clean, full and safe. All designs were subject to exhaustive review by our board of directors. Final contenders were voted on in our November ’22 board meeting.

You may also notice that we added the word “Together” in our tag line. That word is commonly associated with community organizations. We wanted to underscore the message that we can’t carry out our initiatives without the support of the community. Our new design is not contained within a shape. From a psychological standpoint, shapes create the perception of “boundaries” or “limitations”. Our energy, and enthusiasm, is limitless. Our board of directors are extremely dedicated to this organization and the work we do.  Our staff of 3 work well beyond the 40 hour work week to ensure we are doing the best job possible to protect the lake. In addition, we feel a social responsibility to bring the community together and do not want anyone to feel excluded, or confused, by the sailboat that was portrayed in our former design. Despite the lake’s reported 12+ million visitors each year, many people do not use the lake for recreation. Instead, they support the ecosystems and resources the water provides. We want them to get involved with us too!

Last but not least, we added 1966, the date of our inception, to our design to celebrate the decades of dedication to the lake. We also added the date as a nod to our founder, Jackie Joseph. Mrs. Joseph was a forward-thinking woman who stepped outside the boundaries that were set for women and created a voice for the lake community. She taught people how to live on the lake since their backyards were unique. Eventually, she established the 501c3 that has become The Lake Lanier Association, an organization designed to protect our area’s most valuable resource. To us, the date is one to celebrate! We also want to send the message that we’ve been around for a bit—that we understand the lake’s history, growing economic impact and the resources it provides.

I hope this explanation will help the community understand the need to reconsider our brand image and how it allows us to connect with more lovers of the lake than ever before. Most of all, I hope the community will continue to support the work of the LLA, continue providing feedback on the work we do, and join us in this next chapter.

We have so many exciting changes coming up—each of them designed to help us increase our presence in the community and scale the work we do to keep pace with Lanier’s ever increasing popularity.

With Gratitude,

~ Amy McGuire, LLA Executive Director