With the release of the new Hermiston slogan earlier this summer, city officials hope that local businesses will use the image as a community branding tool for promotional materials and more.

City officials revealed the new slogan, Hermiston: You can GROW here, during the Umatilla County Fair parade in August with the idea that with the slogan they could reach not just members and businesses in the community, but individuals from outside of the region to relay the message that all types of growth are possible in Hermiston.

Mark Morgan, assistant to the city manager, spoke to the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce last week outlining the benefits of the new logo and how it can be used throughout the community.

When you are looking at developing a logo and a slogan, you want to make sure that it is something that doesnt completely pigeon hole you into one specific thing, he said. When we are trying to market a community, we have a lot of assets here … (we), by no means, want to get away from the watermelon symbology, but the overriding message that came out of those conversations was that Hermiston is now the largest city in eastern Oregon, and we are so much more than watermelons now.

Morgan said Hermiston is known for its potential to grow any type of cro but also as a place to grow a business and family.

We worked through a lot of (ideas) to come up with a logo and slogan that really epitomizes that, he said.

Morgan said Hermiston had a city logo, but it was very limiting in conveying what the city can offer businesses in the community.

It literally shows transportation with a plane and a train, he said. By having those things pigeon-holed in there, you are really not getting the message (of growth) across.

Morgan said the new logo and slogan can be used in many different ways, including photographs to banners and other promotional elements, which city officials feel could be utilized to unite businesses and organizations throughout Hermiston.

Of course you could use a watermelon or something like that, but even though we are known for our watermelons in a very broad radius, the impact diminishes the farther away that you get from Hermiston, he said. So this gives you something that you can associate your brand and branding components.

Morgan said to use the logo, community members can click on the Do Business tab on the citys website, complete a brief question-and-answer field indicating what they want to use the logo for, and agree to the terms of use. Individuals will then have access to the logo in a variety of colors as well as more than 130 pictures of the Hermiston area that may be used for marketing and advertising purposes.

For more information, contact Morgan at 541-667-5003.