CAB Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 The Nebraska Tourism Commission has recently changed their official slogan to "Nebraska Nice". (story here) I'm not sure if we even had a "slogan" per se before, but if you were to ask around, I'd bet most people would say that it's "The Good Life". Again, I don't know if this was ever an official slogan of the Tourism Commission, but it can be found on every road sign entering the state and any number of state souvenirs. I had heard that they were considering changing it a while ago, but I just now found out what they came up with: Nebraska Nice. My initial reaction was that it's absolutely terrible, but after thinking about it for a while, I came to think that...it's still horrible. Nebraska Nice? It's bad for a number of reasons. The grammar is a bit confusing. Which word is the adjective? What's nice about Nebraska? Is Nebraska a form of nice? Are there different types of nice for each state? Or is supposed to be read like a caveman? Iowa Bad. Nebraska Nice. Or is it a statement? "Nebraska [is] nice."The main tourism site reads "Visit Nebraska. Visit Nice." across the top. This makes their vision a little more clear. It appears "nice" in this instance is meant to mean a state of mind. The general kindness of Nebraska residents and the slowed-down lifestyle of the state. Fair enough. I'm still not sold on the new slogan. In the American English vernacular, "nice" can have a few different connotations. It can be used to describe both the overwhelming spectacularity of something (damn, that is a nice car) or used to downplay something or use it simply for lack of a better word. I'll echo the statements of a woman in the article I linked to above: it just plays into the stereotype of Nebraska being, just... nice. Pretty boring for the most part, but nice. While I can't argue against that statement, I don't think it's the best decision for a tourism slogan.I was relieved to find out that "The Good Life" slogan that is found throughout the state is not going anywhere. Hopefully, the Nice slogan will only be used on the website and other tourism brochures/booklets, and that I can live with. But that didn't stop me from wanting to try my hand at giving "The Good Life" a facelift. The current signs are a bit dated, as you will see below. They feature a variety of graphics including a cowboy/horse, the Capitol Building, and Chimney Rock, among other things. All of these are placed in front of either a yellow or orange sun. They also all read "Home of Arbor Day" across the bottom. Which, is great and all, but it just seems like an odd thing to have on every sign entering the state. Ideally, I would want Nebraska to have a consistent design on every state entrance sign, similar to Colorado. Green metal signs along the highway/interstate are played out, and I love the idea of Nebraska having wooden, hand-painted signs. I will post a mock-up of a wooden sign later, but for now, let's get to the logo. I wanted the logo to have one main iconic feature, which in this case is the N. It also features a cornrow design, for obvious reasons. I want the logo to have a sort of retro-modern look: something that looks like it's been around a while, and could also be used for years in the future. I haven't settled on one singular logo, but I have quite a few variants of the same thing. I also mocked up what it would look like on a green roadside sign, and I will work on a wooden sign design in the near future.Please feel free to post your thoughts and suggestions! Thanks for checking this out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGiantsFan Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Wow! This is actually very nice! Very well-designed and I like its ability to be "multipurposed." Great job! BEHANCE | PORTFOLIO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFB Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Your logo would be the most exciting thing about Nebraska. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoknight Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Your logo would be the most exciting thing about Nebraska. I can't even begin to respond to that nonsense.I love this update, CAB. I think my favorites are the ones with the state outline included - helps some of those ham-fisted troglodytes on the coasts be able to identify exactly which Midwestern state they're driving through. 5th in NAT. TITLES | 2nd in CONF. TITLES | 5th in HEISMAN | 7th in DRAFTS | 8th in ALL-AMER | 7th in WINS | 4th in BOWLS | 1st in SELLOUTS | 1st GAMEDAY SIGN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAB Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 Your logo would be the most exciting thing about Nebraska. Ha, I'll take that as a compliment. I love this update, CAB. I think my favorites are the ones with the state outline included - helps some of those ham-fisted troglodytes on the coasts be able to identify exactly which Midwestern state they're driving through. Yeah, I'm leaning more towards the one with the state outline. I will post some wooden sign mock-ups of a wooden sign later today using the outline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandMooreArt Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 i think your direction and ideas are really great. much better than "nebraska nice". the points you raised about it are also the same concerns i have, and when Ford came out with "built Ford tough" my friends and i (Dodge/Mopar fans) made fun of it. "its not tough, just Ford tough". when you put your product/business next to a standard, it cheapens the standard. graphically, i think you only need to change the "N" in nebraska to be a capital letter. and definitely use the gold. GRAPHIC ARTIST BEHANCE / MEDIUM / DRIBBBLE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSUcelticsWON95 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 From Nebraska as well, and I really like these, although I'd like to see some with green (maybe green and yellow/cream) since I'm not a Husker fan But I really like these, especially the ones with the state included. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Varsity Blue Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 That is a beautiful logo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiller99 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Love the rolling hills incorporated into the logo. That's what- She Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAB Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 Thanks, guys. Just FYI, I haven't abandoned this, but things move a little slower in the General Design forum, so I'm gonna wait and see if anyone else has some comments or criticism before I post an update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew823 Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 This is beautiful stuff. I remember those signs well and your update is really classy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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