March 23, 2026
VERNON COUNTY, Wis. – Vernon County officials received a first look at the county new unified brand identity during the March 19 Board of Supervisors meeting marking the culmination of a months long strategic planning effort.
Community Development Director Amy Oliver presented the final designs to the board which included a new logo and the tagline A great place to grow.
Before diving into the visual designs Oliver shared a short promotional video to demonstrate the tone of the campaign. Oliver explained that the clip is one of four branded videos the county produced to launch over the course of the year to showcase the people place and quality of life in the area.
“This is one of four of our branded videos that we will be launching over the course of the year,” said Oliver. “What you just saw reflects what makes Vernon County so special.”
The rebranding campaign was initiated as part of a larger internal reorganization over the past year. During long range planning sessions last spring supervisors established a new mission vision and values to guide the county forward. Those core principles formed the foundation for the new public identity.
To fund the work the county secured a United States Department of Agriculture grant for up to $75,000 dollars ensuring the project required no local matching tax dollars. As explained in previous committee meetings the county partnered with the University of Wisconsin Extension to develop the core messaging assets while an outside marketing firm was hired to design the visual elements.
Oliver explained to the board that a brand is about clarity consistency and trust.
“At its simplest our brand is how people recognize who we are and how we serve,” said Oliver. “A unified county brand helps residents recognize county communications understand the services we provide and connect those services to the broader purpose of county government which is to improve health safety and quality of life for our residents.”
Oliver walked supervisors through the symbolic meaning of the new logo which was selected by the board last fall. The image features rolling hills to reflect the Driftless landscape alongside a rising sun for optimism and the future. A foundation line sits at the bottom to represent stability while the green tones represent local growth and history.
“These elements define who we are and how we serve,” said Oliver. “The new tagline which I am going to introduce you to gives us a simple way to share all of this with the public.”
Beyond the logo Oliver explained how the brand will translate into practical tools for county staff including new visual standards and document templates. The county will also be replacing antiquated exterior signs at the Erlandson building the courthouse annex and other county facilities while designing new interior wayfinding signage to help residents easily navigate the buildings.
Department heads have already undergone training on how to use the messaging and visual assets. Oliver noted that Economic Development and Marketing Coordinator Larkin Breckel will serve as the point person to help staff transition to the new templates. A public launch is slated for March 31 with the new signs being installed between April and August.
“The goal is not to change everything overnight because that is extremely overwhelming,” said Oliver. “But rather to make steady progress in the materials and spaces the public sees most often.”
Board members were highly receptive to the presentation and praised the community development department for bringing the long term project to the finish line.
“I do not have a question but it looks fantastic and great job to your team,” said Supervisor Alycann Taylor. “That is all I have to say.”
“I just realized the importance of having a cheerleader in a county like this,” said Supervisor Dave Eggen. “You are doing an excellent job and thank you for all your efforts.”
County Board Chair Lorn Goede echoed the praise for the administrative team.
“I would like to thank Amy and Cassie for their leadership in this,” said Goede. “It was a lot of work and a lot of time and great job.”
Administrative Coordinator Cassie Hanan credited the board for making the design process easier by defining the county core values early on.
“I did just want to acknowledge the boards role in this,” said Hanan. “I think you made it a lot easier for us to do this process knowing that we had set the mission vision and values ahead of time because that kind of played into a lot of what you are going to see in your brand books.”
Supervisor Mary Henry used the presentation to connect the new positive imagery to the board subsequent vote on resolutions opposing a massive regional transmission line project. Henry warned that the scenic bluffs depicted in the new logo would be permanently scarred by the 200 foot steel towers being proposed.
“The branding is awesome I totally believe in it and I believe in those two days that we spent together in a workshop coming up with our mission our values our vision,” said Henry. “So lets keep that in mind for our resolution because that branding would not look like that if we accept those towers.”
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