The new calling card for Columbus and Bartholomew County tourism is a creatively shot, bright, 22-page promotional guide for the area touting everything from architecture to shopping to family activities.
About 50,000 copies of the free guide are now being distributed to rest areas, welcome centers and elsewhere nationwide, according to Karen Niverson, Columbus Area Visitors Center executive director.
That was part of the focus of the center’s annual meeting which recapped the 2018 year Wednesday afternoon before a crowd of about 100 people at the center, 506 Fifth St.
On the 45th anniversary of graphic designer Paul Rand’s dancing Cs to promote Columbus, current local graphic designer Brooke Hawkins worked with the Chicago-based Thirst design firm to use a version of those symbols throughout the marketing publication.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
“They were the perfect platform on which to build our new visitors guide,” Hawkins said, adding that the reworked symbols “feel just as relevant” today as they were considered in 1974.
Hawkins and Thirst also opted for mostly at-a-glance text.
Besides highlighting the downtown, lodging and events, the publication also touts Hope as “surprising little town” embracing history and heritage. Niverson referred to the new guide as “a statement piece” about the area and its attributes.
Community leaders also viewed the new, $35 ninth edition of the book “A Look at Architecture,” highlighting Columbus’ best-known tourism magnet. The volume initially was launched in 1974. About 2,500 copies of each of the editions have been printed and sold through the years, according to organizers.
Don Nissen, visitors center director of information services, handled the book’s design. Indianapolis architect Steve Risting and community leader Tom Vujovich, formerly with Pentzer Printing, also were part of the team to produce the new version. Niverson referred to Risting, a longtime follower and chronicler of local structures, as one who “literally wrote the book on Columbus architecture.”
“The beauty of the book speaks volumes more than mere words ever could,” Niverson said. “I really appreciate the talent all around the table that helped put this together.”
In part, the book intersperses old photos taken by late, celebrated architectural photographer Balthazar Korab with more recent shots by others.
In other news, center leaders reported that they provided $208,917 to more than 40 community partners during 2018. And the visitors center teamed with the Indiana Office of Tourism Development on a marketing campaign that delivered the message of the county 17 million times during the year via TV, radio, print and online, according to marketing metrics.
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2.2 million: Number of visitors
4,500: Jobs supported by local tourism
$283 million: Visitor spending
$12 million: Sports tourism impact
1,018: Number of tours
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The Columbus Area Visitors Center highlighted several tours at its annual meeting Wednesday. Here’s an overview:
- New historic tours of Zaharakos, including the upstairs crystal parlor: From 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, conducted by local resident and history lover Debra Sloane. $15 per person. Booked via the visitors center.
- Indiana Landmarks’ Back to the Future: A Mid-Century Modern Homes Tour: 1 to 6 p.m. May 18. Five homes. $10 to $20.
- New Pedal Pubs Tours: Beginning sometime this summer, allowing residents to team-peddle a special multiple-rider bike through the city while sipping brews and visiting local establishments. Coordinated by Ashton Wischmeier.
- Open Door Tour of the Bartholomew County Historical Society: Fundraiser scheduled June 8 and featuring homes more than 100 years old. $20 and $25. Information: bartholomewhistory.org
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