The image is iconic: multi-colored C’s adorning signage around Columbus, looking as if the letters were doing the twist on a dance floor.
When people see the Dancing C’s, they know it represents Columbus.
The logo originally sprang from Rand’s design of Cummins Inc. annual reports. Use of it across the city debuted in 1974, and its second generation came forth in 2007 with a branding redesign.
Now new plans call for expanding the use of the Dancing C’s to identify commercial areas of Columbus and nearby. A Columbus Area Visitors Center effort called Destination Neighborhoods Project gives four sections of the community their own visual identity:
- Downtown arts district
- State Street’s industrial arts corridor
- AirPark Columbus Exploration District
- Taylorsville area’s Exit 76 shopping district
The new signs, created by the Thirst design group of Chicago, will be officially unveiled April 25. Banners for each business neighborhood will have the word “welcome” displayed in 14 languages. That shows diversity and inclusiveness by the city. Eventually the graphics will adorn city buses and bus stops.
The project looks like it will be a lot of fun, and shows that the past matters in a new way. It’s also uniquely Columbus and worth touting. We find it Creative and Clever, to offer a few C’s of our own.
The Columbus Area Visitors Center deserves credit for launching the idea and reiterating that Columbus is a fun place to visit and live.
