Successful economic development requires a strong approach. Too often, state messaging is bland and interchangeable. But whether it’s marketing a community or the state, the value proposition of your place, culture and environment is unique.
I’ve been in economic development long enough to know that branding a community or state is a common conundrum. How do you put a place with all of its diverse people and industries, varying regions and opportunities into a box? So we didn’t. Here in Oklahoma, we imagined something different – both the unique process we took and the exciting outcome – and the results speak for themselves. And as Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, I am confident that this new brand offers us vast opportunities to showcase our state in a way that’s never been done before.
The new logo for the State of Oklahoma represents the many benefits our state has to offer while also conveying what makes Oklahoma so unique – the inward energy of our state and how we work together to get the job done and dramatizing Oklahoma as the center of the U.S.
And then there’s our new tagline: Imagine that. This bold statement lets us share the unique and surprising aspects that people don’t know about our state while also emphasizing Oklahoma as a place to thrive. This extends to Oklahoma communities looking to find new ways to thrive and the confidence we have in our state’s business environment.
Brent Kisling
Executive Director
Oklahoma Department of Commerce
