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Meandering its way through the heart of Durham and the hearts of its loyalists, the Eno River is a mainstay that holds fond memories for virtually anyone who’s lived in its path or played on its shores. Tasked with preserving the tranquility found at the Eno River and protecting it for future generations, the Eno River Association (ERA) has provided conservation, education and stewardship of the Eno River Basin for more than 40 years. But in those 40 years their brand identity has become as muddled as the Eno River is clear.

With ERA having just celebrated 40 years of conservation, our goal was to set it on a successful path for the next 40 years and beyond. Through our process, we set out to develop an authentic and cohesive brand identity. An identity that could speak to the Eno’s diverse audience and serve the ERA well as its reach grew and it established new connections and partnerships.

As with many projects we undertake, research is an important first step and cornerstone to our process. For the ERA, we began with an online survey, fielded to key Eno constituents. The survey was designed to identify opinions, perceptions and expectations of key audience groups to be considered in the brand development process. With the many facets of the ERA’s work come prominent stakeholders who contribute in different ways.

A Brand Discovery Workshop was selected as the means for best opening a conversation and dialogue with key stakeholders. We wanted to further gauge their perceptions and expectations of the ERA brand. The workshop was structured enough to allow MSA to gain valuable insights yet relaxed enough to allow for open and honest thoughts and comments on the state of the brand. As a part of one research exercise, we had stakeholders grade their current brand. Surprisingly, they didn’t take it easy on themselves. Their grade for their brand was a C+.

With the brand discovery phase behind us, we distilled and refined the various conversations and data points into actionable insights. This gave us tangible borders to frame the visual identity development process.

To help address existing brand challenges of awareness, differentiation and appeal to broader and more diverse audiences, we developed a user experience path that identified the various touch points where users could interact with the ERA. This highlighted the key factors in moving people along the path, with the goal of moving individuals from new visitors to brand evangelists.

The final piece of the puzzle was honing in on the distinct values of the ERA (including organizational, core, tonal, and product values). Although these values can seem self-evident, we often find that this exercise allows us to consolidate a myriad of brand characteristics and ensure the brand speaks with one voice. 

After talking with various stakeholders, distilling a myriad of data points, and even taking a few walks to take in the river’s beauty, we faced a daunting task: capturing this glorious, multi-faceted brand into a single logo concept. One that could speak to diverse audiences, hearken back to the Association’s rich history, and spur them on to a bright future.

After an extensive process of vetting several logo concepts, fonts, color palettes and everything in-between, the ERA selected a logo where every little nuance spoke to some aspect of their organization and mission. Intentional and relatable, the logo could speak to different audiences in unique ways.

Avenir Bold, in turn, took the selected logo and translated it across an array of brand elements, giving the ERA a comprehensive, refreshed visual identity.

The Association has implemented the new visual identity with extremely favorable feedback from it stakeholders. Be sure to look for it at upcoming Eno festivals and events.