PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF HERMISTON
Hermiston has been growing steadily for the past 10-15 years, fueled in large part by its agricultural industry.
With an eye on future growth, the Hermiston Futures Task Force and the city of Hermiston revealed their vision for the city’s identity during Saturday’s Umatilla County Fair Parade: “Hermiston: You Can GROW Here.”
According to Hermiston Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan, the brand is intended to be used by businesses, groups, and residents of the area to allow them to easily associate themselves with the growing community.
“The objective in offering this brand for use by the community is to create a broad-based recognition of the people, products, and opportunities in Hermiston,” Morgan said. Those interested in using the brand can visit the city of Hermiston website. at www.hermiston.or.us/growhere.
“Widespread usage of the brand is the goal, while use of this Collective Membership Mark will be limited by design standards which ensure the integrity of the brand,” Morgan said. The design for the new brand water mark is being developed by Limelight Design in Hermiston.
The brand can directly reference to the city’s ongoing population growth, as well as its ties to agriculture, but can also be used for other purposes, as well, Morgan said, who is also a member of the Hermiston Futures Task Force.
“This brand gives us an identity that isn’t tied to any specific entity,” he said. “This allows it to be very flexible in its use. This brand can be used to appeal to businesses looking at the area, by existing businesses looking to differentiate their product by associating it with Hermiston, and any number of different ways.” The new brand will not replace the city of Hermiston’s existing “watermelon” logo, Morgan said.
Morgan said the phrase, “Hermiston: You Can GROW Here,” is a versatile brand which can be applied across all of the social, economic, and personal aspects of the Hermiston area.
“Small businesses can find ample opportunities in this region on the growing wave of development,” he said. “Big businesses continue to take advantage of Hermiston’s world-class growing climate for countless agricultural products. Families enjoy watching their children grow in a large community that has maintained its hometown feel and support of top-quality education. Students in Hermiston can continue their growth from the many new K-12 schools up through college and Masters-level courses which are all available without leaving town. All of these aspects went into the development of the brand and wordmark by the Hermiston Futures Task Force.”
Hermiston’s population has grown by more than 36 percent since 2000, and the area has maintained relatively strong economic growth even throughout “the Great Recession.” Community leaders came together to plan for continued growth after the 2010 U.S. Census showed Hermiston as the largest city in eastern Oregon. The Hermiston Futures Task Force was born, and, said Morgan, one of the top priorities that the group heard from the community was the need to establish an identity befitting the growing community.
The Futures Task Force brought together community members from a broad range of backgrounds to tackle the issue of pinpointing Hermiston’s identity. The Community Identity Sub-Group is made up of 17 Hermiston area leaders in agriculture, health care, industry, tourism, media, education, and economic development.
