New logo, slogan could take Princeton far

PRINCETON — “Princeton, Illinois: A short drive that takes you far.”

Unveiled at Thursday’s Princeton Chamber of Commerce annual banquet, Princeton Tourism’s new logo and slogan are the result of an eight-month process that involved much thought by local residents, visits by out-of-towners, and multiple options proposed by the same marketing firm that has assisted in Galena’s successful tourism efforts.

And the response when the logo and slogan were projected onto the banquet hall wall of The Barn at Hornbaker Gardens last Thursday?

“I tell you, the support I received when we unveiled the logo was, I guess, kind of unexpected. People clapped and thought it was great,” Kim Frey, executive director of the Princeton Chamber of Commerce, said in an interview Monday.

Frey said several attendees came forward to praise the “fresh, new look,” which they seemed to really like.

The logo features the word “Princeton” in large, lower-case serif letters, “Illinois” in smaller sans-serif letters, all capitals, below, with a curving line that connects the dot over Princeton’s “i” with the lower-case “t” that might suggest movement, perhaps a road, which ties in with the new seven-word slogan.

Frey said the combination is designed to encourage people to travel to Princeton to see what the community has to offer.

“I want people to look at that and think, ‘Oh, that looks familiar,’ or ‘I know what they’re talking about,’ or ‘I want to go there,’” she said.

The new logo and slogan will start appearing on print and online promotional material of all types, including the new spring and summer booklets and guides coming out.

It replaces several different versions of older-style logos and several different slogans, including the old standby, “Where Tradition Meets Progress.”

“As we try to draw in more people outside of our region, we felt like we needed a more cohesive message, one that was consistent (and) worked well with a variety of mediums,” Frey said.

The Princeton Tourism committee interviewed six applicants to design the logo and develop the slogan, and McDaniels Marketing of Pekin became the front-runner.

“We narrowed it down to McDaniels, who [was] responsible for [some] of Galena, Illinois’ marketing as well,” Frey said.

The firm brought visitors to Princeton who had never seen the city before to give it a look and supply their impressions.

“They found that we were very trendy, and we were very progressive, but we still needed the right amount of old influence, also,” Frey said.

Those ideas, along with other input, helped McDaniels formulate four logo designs and six slogan options, which were reviewed and whittled down to the logo and slogan announced last week.

The effort to attract out-of-town visitors has one goal, Frey said.

“We want them to feel like they want to experience Princeton,” she said.

That includes upscale boutique shopping, the arts, vintage covered bridges, historic landmarks and more.

“We want to be more of a destination. We want them to get a vibe from whatever our slogan is. We want to draw them in,” Frey said.

“A short drive that takes you far” could be the impetus for a Galena-style influx of tourists and visitors. At least, that’s the plan.

“I think we could have and do have as much to offer (as Galena) as we grow on this, and as our Main Street continues to thrive, and as we see more and more events, I think bringing them in could really change things. I know it could,” Frey said.