Can you see what’s hidden in Eagle County’s new airport logo?
The logo is part of a rebranding effort for the county airport in Gypsum
Courtesy image
Officials at the Eagle County Regional Airport are working to refresh the facility’s image.
Part of that effort is creating a 20-year master plan to guide the airport’s growth and potential new facilities. Another part is rebranding the airport with marketing, including a new logo.
Eagle County Aviation Director David Reid gave the Eagle County Board of Commissioners an update Tuesday on the effort, conducted with The Quotient Group, an aviation marketing firm.
The effort has included identifying target markets for the effort, including local travelers, second homeowners and visitors. The work has also included listening sessions with staff and stakeholders, as well as research into both Eagle County’s airport and similar facilities around the region.
Part of the effort will be to focus on the several ways people think of the airport. People currently refer to the airport in several ways, including the “Vail Airport,” the Eagle County Regional Airport, and a couple of variations of EGE, the airport’s three-letter signifier from the Federal Aviation Administration.
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The airport is actually in Gypsum, and County Manager Jeff Shroll, formerly the longtime town manager in Gypsum, also noted that an inside joke at the town hall was referring to the airport as “GIA,” for Gypsum International Airport.
The current suggestion is to stick with EGE for marketing and branding efforts.
Taglines — including “Experience the EGE difference” and “Fly easy. EGE” — are still being bandied about, but the logo seems fairly set.
Most airport logos in the region feature mountains and an image of an airliner. The new logo for Eagle County has the simplified image of a pair of mountains, but a step back shows a viewer an eagle, as long as that viewer kind of knows what to look for.
A rebranding effort for the Eagle County Regional Airport has identified four audiences to target:
- Local, full-time residents
- Second-home owners and part-time residents
- Visitors and adventure seekers
- Visitors and business travelers
Commissioners Matt Scherr and Jeanne McQueeney approved of the logo, and McQueeney said the new logo is growing on her.
“The first time we saw this… it did look a little military,” McQueeney said. But with a bit of explanation and a second and third look, McQueeney said she’s now comfortable with the image.
Shroll said the rebranding can go along with finding more and better ways for locals to use the airport. That’s something both he and Reid said they’re “passionate” about.
With the commissioners’ approval, Reid said the consultants can begin incorporating it into a website redesign. That site is expected to launch in mid-December.
