Three Ways to Explore
Schuyler County has multiple adventures to explore: the roar of world-famous Watkins Glen International, the rush of nineteen waterfalls, and the allure of a nationally acclaimed wine industry along Seneca Lake. The challenge wasn’t finding a story. It was building a brand that could hold all three at once.
The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce approached us to refresh the brand identity for Explore Watkins Glen, its tourism-facing organization for Schuyler County. Our focus was capturing everything that makes the region worth the trip: Seneca Lake, the deepest of the eleven Finger Lakes at 618 feet; Watkins Glen State Park, one of New York’s top attractions, with 19 waterfalls and 1.3 million visitors a year; and the Finger Lakes National Forest, the only national forest in New York State, spanning more than 16,200 acres and 30 miles of trails.
One Identity, Three Pillars
Our challenge was giving all of that scale and drama a single, adventure-forward identity built on three pillars — racing, nature, and wine — dramatic enough to match the landscape, but versatile enough to work across a Travel Guide, a website, signage, and merchandise, while still honoring an organization whose roots as Schuyler County’s Tourism Promotion Agency trace back to 1988.
Race. Nature. Wine.
The final identity, a concept the team called ‘Rustic Script,’ is built on that same three-pillar system, anchored by one consistent, custom-lettered ‘Explore Watkins Glen’ wordmark that carries across all three.
The racing pillar is built around a vintage race car cornering through Milliken’s Corner on the historic 1948 street course, honoring the village’s heritage as the birthplace of American road racing and home to Watkins Glen International, whose races now generate more than $204 million in annual economic impact and draw over 100,000 fans for the largest single sporting event in New York State.
The nature pillar is built around the cascading waterfalls and stone bridges of Watkins Glen State Park, reinforcing the area’s ranking as a top-tier U.S. destination and the 19 waterfalls that define Schuyler County’s landscape.
And the wine pillar is built around lush grape clusters and twisting vines evoking the Seneca Lake Wine Trail, the largest wine trail in the Finger Lakes with more than 30 member wineries.
Made to Explore
That three-pillar system now carries across mugs, hats, hoodies, totes, and tees, alongside business cards and a refreshed website built around the brand’s “Find Your Adventure” mission and “Hike. Sip. Race. Wander. Repeat.” tagline — timed to launch across the county’s annual Travel Guide and its Live Your Dream publication.
The same script system extends beyond Watkins Glen itself into an “Explore NYS” sub-brand covering Schuyler County and its townships, including Montour Falls, Hector, Burdett, and Odessa, giving the whole county a consistent way to invite visitors in.
