Piqua City Rebrand & Identity Design

The City of Piqua’s rebrand was an opportunity to celebrate a community with deep historical roots while positioning it for a confident, forward-thinking future. As a city known for its strong architectural heritage, natural landscapes, and close-knit culture, Piqua needed an identity that honored where it came from while reflecting the momentum of where it’s headed. This project led to the creation of a modern, unified brand system that reinforces civic pride, strengthens visual communication, and brings clarity to every touchpoint across departments, public spaces, and digital platforms.

Project Overview: Municipal rebrand concept exploration

Client Background: Historic Midwestern Ohio community

Role (Vaughn & Co.): Brand strategy & design

Goals: Honor heritage, modernize identity

Design Approach: Iconic, research-driven system

This conceptual rebrand for the City of Piqua represents a study in how thoughtful identity design can merge a community’s past with its vision for the future. By balancing heritage, symbolism, and modern design principles, the goal was to build a system that feels authentic, enduring, and adaptable across real-world applications. Although self-initiated, this project reflects my commitment to strategic identity design, storytelling, and creating brand systems rooted in purpose and research.

Thank you for taking the time to explore this case study.

Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/AustynM Instagram (Personal): https://www.instagram.com/ohioaustyn/ Instagram (Vaughn & Co.): https://www.instagram.com/wearevaughn/ Contra: https://contra.com/austyn_mc_fadden_hi7847iw?referralExperimentNid=DEFAULT_REFERRAL_PROGRAM&referrerUsername=austyn_mc_fadden_hi7847iw

Legal Notice This project is an independent, self-initiated design exploration created solely for portfolio and educational purposes. All concepts, designs, and written content were developed entirely by me based on publicly available information, my own research on the City of Piqua, and insights gathered from the brand story shared when the now-scrapped rebrand was originally released.

This work is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or commissioned by the City of Piqua or any of its departments, representatives, or associated entities. All trademarks and referenced materials remain the property of their respective owners.