Launceston Chamber of Commerce is urging people to express their interest in being involved with the new branding for Launceston, which confirms the town as ‘the ancient capital of Cornwall’.
Owned by the Chamber of Commerce and steered by the Town Plan Group, Launceston is in the process of getting its very own shiny new branding, which can help to pinpoint all the fantastic areas of town, boost footfall and promote local heritage.
So what is a ‘town brand’? At heart, it will create an image of the town in line with the community’s values. Tash Baskerville from Launceston Chamber of Commerce said: “Essentially it will be a recognisable theme for Launceston that could link things like signage, events programmes, town maps, and everything in between under a quintessentially Launceston look and vibe. The consultation gave locals a chance to contribute to the brand and to ensure the project reflects the views of local people. The guidelines being developed are directly influenced by the hundreds of comments received. Now we can use this to project Launceston’s image and give people pride in their town.”
The project came about through Section 106 funding from the retail park on Hurdon Road, in order to benefit the town centre and wider community. Tash said: “The team at Gendall Design came to the town and were given a rain ride by Nigel at Launceston Steam Railway. They were blown away by how every person they spoke to had a unique story to tell about their town, which is why the branding refers to there being ‘a story on every corner’.”
The brand values identified at the consultation events were the local history and heritage, how to make it easier to navigate the town, an arts focus and resilience. Tash added: “The values are: Launceston is independent, inclusive, authentic, conscious, resilient and unexpected.”
While we can’t yet release the official branding visuals, the team behind the town brand are keen to hear from anyone wishing to be involved in making this exciting project as worthwhile as possible.
Tash added: “The aim is to give the whole community ownership of the brand so anyone can use it how they would like. We’d love to hear from people who want to help spread the word about the town brand, as well as people that can use the branding for events, workshops, signage, community groups and more.”
Having locals express an interest at this early stage is vital to the project's success. This can be businesses, schools, community groups and individuals that can pledge support or wish their own inspiring work to contribute to the success of the campaign.
This phase is for brand guidelines only, and to take it to the next stage it will require volunteers to help make it a reality. If you’d like to be involved or are interested in utilising the new town branding, email Tash on tash.launcestonchamber@gmail.com