Members of The Greenbrier Historical Society (GHS) revealed its new logo and brand during a meeting of the Lewisburg Rotary Club on Tuesday, Apr. 24, with historical society members in attendance as honored guests. Following the meeting, the GHS held a news conference to introduce the new project images and answer questions concerning its work.
Following a six-month strategic planning process the Greenbrier Historical Society held a board retreat, wrote and developed a strategic plan. Dick Allowatt, an award winning graphic designer and juried Tamarack artist, was retained to design their new brand and logo.
“The current logo has been in use since 1963,” stated Annie McMillion, Executive Director of GHS. “Our activities have evolved from The North House Museum and Archives and Library to include restoration of historic artifacts as well as projects of the Blue Sulphur Springs Pavilion and the Barracks. We felt the organization needed a brand and guidelines on the use of its name and image that reflect that larger footprint in the community.”
Margaret Hambrick, GHS President, said “We believe that we will continue to grow projects and services. The board of directors realized that in order to help the public understand our mission and impact that a common brand and look that is uniform with our education, research and preservation projects was needed.”
“Each building and restoration project will have an image and assigned color under the Greenbrier Historical Society’s brand,” said Deborah Phillips-Weikle, leader of the strategic planning process. “This will help identify The Greenbrier Historical Society as the restoration manager and grant recipient.”
Margaret Hambrick, president of the Board of Directors of GHS continued, “We are excited to continue the branding process. Over time, the public will notice changes in signage and the look of our social media.”
The new logo includes the Greenbrier Historical Society image and the name of the project. A motto of Unlocking our Past, Securing our Future has also been adopted. A single letter “G” replaces the current image that has been in continuous use since the organization was founded.