LogoLounge 2

6 6

p26

Job no:82185(CTP) Title : RP-Logolounge 2 Client : Pro-vision

Scn :

#

175 Size : 228.6(w)279.4(h)mm Co : M6 C0 O/P: CTP

Dept : DTP D/O : 27.08.04 (Job no:000000 D/O : 00.00.01 Co: CM0)

Job no:8

Scn :

#

17

Dept : D

Black Text

logolounge 2

26

In many crowded product categories, strong branding is the differentiator,

leading consumers to prefer one product over another—especially when

so many of the product attributes and claims are perceived to be identical.

This belief is well understood in commodity categories such as beverages,

cereal, or other common household goods, but could it also be true with

such a considered, emotional, and expensive consumer choice as the des-

tination for a tropical vacation?

That was precisely the case when Duffy & Partners began to work with the

Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. The island nation was competing for tourism

dollars with branding and communication that was virtually identical in

imagery and messages as its competitors. As a result, consumers con-

cluded the Bahamas were interchangeable with other warm-weather des-

tinations such as Jamaica, Mexico, or many other Caribbean islands. And

although the Bahamas does offer the tantalizing promise of a sensory, emo-

tional, and physical vacation, they are perceived to be a “stereotypical par-

adise.” The challenge for the ministry: How could they differentiate the

islands as the preferred vacation destination?

“As you can imagine, in this category, there is a sea of sameness among

all sand and sea destinations—tropical colors, water, sun, palm trees,” says

Joe Duffy, chairman of Duffy & Partners. “With our client’s previous

approach, you could have pulled out the name ‘Bahamas’ and substituted

‘Jamaica’ or ‘Barbados,’ and the identity would have worked just as well.

It was not unique or grounded in any differentiated truth that makes the

Bahamas a unique destination.”

Contributing to the ministry’s challenge was that although the Bahamas

had an existing identity, it had never been used consistently. Essentially,

the previous brand identity was just a tagline, “The Islands of the Bahamas:

It Just Keeps Getting Better”—undistinguished at best. And it was applied

in hundreds of different ways, with different typefaces and colors, driven by

different constituencies with different needs.

Design Firm

Client

Project

Duffy & Partners

Bahamas Ministry of Tourism

Identity Design

The new logo and brand identity for the islands of the

Bahamas—a clever maplike representation of the arrangement

of main destination islands, and a pattern that can be repur-

posed on everything from T-shirts to websites—is fresh and

bright, like the place itself. The mark distinguishes the Bahamas

as not a single destination but many.

“It quickly became clear that everyone from the

tourism office to souvenir manufacturers would

have to be able to work with the new design.”

Less than inspiring, the Bahamas’ old logo didn’t say “tropical,”

much less “unique” or even “fun.”

LL2 020-031/M6 26/8/04 10:44 AM Page 26

6 6

Job no:82185(CTP) Title : RP-Logolounge 2 Client : Pro-vision

Scn :

#

175 Size : 228.6(w)279.4(h)mm Co : M6 C0 O/P: CTP

Dept : DTP D/O : 27.08.04 (Job no:000000 D/O : 00.00.01 Co: CM0)

Black Text

p27

27

They determined the best solution was to create not just a logo but a more fluid brand expression of

the actual geographic positioning of the islands of the Bahamas on a map.

Building off flower shapes and other organic forms, the Duffy design team began to experiment with different ways to express that

the Bahamas was not one destination, but many. The concept of using geography as a design element emerged here, through

different shapes.

LL2 020-031/M6 27/8/04 10:14 AM Page 27