Discover Southern Indiana Launches New Branding
You don’t visit Southern Indiana–you Discover it.
That's the premise behind the new look and feel for Discover Southern Indiana (DSI), a regional tourism organisation aimed at fostering a welcoming visitor experience within an eight-county region of south-central Indiana. First established in 2018, the destination marketing organisation sought a visual identity that would fully represent the broad range of outdoor recreation, food and drink experiences, and cultural significance that are present in the region that includes Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington Counties.
“Our goal was to develop a look and feel that could be as resonant to the rolling hills of Spring Mill State Park in Lawrence County as it is to the wineries and culinary experiences around Patoka Lake in Crawford County or the world-class resorts of French Lick West Baden in Orange County,” said Misty Weisensteiner, chief operating officer of Discover Southern Indiana. “We exist to ‘break down’ county lines and help visitors understand just how much there is to do in this area.”
The main logo is reminiscent of an Indiana license plate, encouraging explorers to take a road trip and see what they discover, while ancillary visual assets highlight outdoor recreation, food and wine experiences, and more. The assets are tied together with a cohesive, earthy colour scheme and gently curving lines that nod to the region’s natural landscape.
These new assets made their debut on DSI’s new and improved website, which launched in March. The website has been reorganized to improve the user experience and make it simpler for viewers to play a visit uniquely tailored to their specific interests.
Discover Southern Indiana is the tourism arm of Radius Indiana, which supports economic development in Southern Indiana by enhancing awareness of the unique assets in the region and positioning the region competitively for the retention, expansion, and attraction of jobs and investment. Its founding was the result of a collaborative development process that brought together ten stakeholders from around the region to share their vision for the future of tourism and hospitality for this unique part of the state. The Tourism Strategy Team met throughout 2018 to bring the idea of a region-wide, joint tourism venture to life.
“Discover Southern Indiana was born from the conviction and passion of many people who believe that a rising tide lifts all ships. We are confident that when a traveller experiences a taste of what Southern Indiana has to offer, they’ll want to come back again and again, and explore further,” said Jeff Quyle, Radius president and CEO. “This new branding conveys both the breadth of experience available here, and the seamless way in which visitors can travel among the counties, painting a true picture of who we are.”
The brand was created by Indianapolis-based marketing agency The Basement, which serves as Discover Southern Indiana’s agency of record for marketing and strategic communications. These brand elements can be seen on Discover Southern Indiana’s newly updated website, its social media platforms, and monthly newsletters.
