Mike Wolanin | The Republic Columbus Area Visitor Center Executive Director Misty Weisensteiner, left, moderates a fireside chat with Uriaha Foust, creative director of The Basement, during an event to celebrate the Columbus Area Visitors Center’s new destination brand at the Crump Theatre in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.
It’s vibrant. It’s approachable. It’s welcoming.
And it was greeted with applause and cheers from the audience that gathered at the Crump Theatre Tuesday night.
The Columbus Area Visitors Center revealed its new tourism brand, an evolution of its voice as the community’s destination management organization or DMO. After over a year of research, planning and discussion, the Visitors Center has launched its new brand identity and a destination marketing campaign titled “There’s More to C,” which will go live next year.
“It’s visitor focused, built to connect, inspire and engage. (It’s) authentic, truly representative of our community’s character. And it’s aspirational, it’s aligned with our goal of being the best DMO of our size,” Columbus Area Visitors Center executive director Misty Weisensteiner said Tuesday night. “This brand is modern, fresh and forward thinking, and it reflects the pride we feel in our community and the confidence that we have in our future.”
In addition to revealing the new brand identity, Tuesday night’s event also saw a presentation from keynote speaker Josiah Brown on brand and the power of the visitor economy. Known as the New York Sherpa, Brown works in the destination marketing and management industry, and has traveled across the country speaking on tourism and branding topics.
The new brand identity incorporates dynamic color, approachable typography and lively graphic elements harking back to Rand’s playful forms. As Weisensteiner described it, the brand is approachable, welcoming to every type of visitor and reflective of the energy and unexpected delight of Columbus.
It also draws from Columbus’ world-renowned design heritage while embracing the vibrant and welcoming spirit of Bartholomew County. Fans of Paul Rand’s “Dancing C” design don’t have to worry either, as the design that has been in use since the 1970s has been expanded upon and joined by colorful “confetti.”
“The elements that are around it, initially this idea of the ‘Dancing C’ needed dance partners. It’s been dancing with itself for a long time, so we wanted to give it these dance partners…,” Uriaha Foust, creative director at the full-service agency The Basement, said Tuesday night.
Foust joined Weisensteiner on stage Tuesday night to discuss his team’s work with and vision behind the rebrand. During the design process, he said they wanted to preserve the “Dancing C” design without it feeling too old. They also incorporated the “C” into the campaign title, with his ultimate hope being that visitors would wonder what more there is to “C” in Columbus when they see the brand.
“So I really want them to be excited, be interested, get here, go back home and tell their friends and family, ‘have you ever been to Columbus and spend some time there? It’s pretty cool,’” Foust said Tuesday night. “That would be excellent.”
This brand identity can be seen on a newly launched website, ComeSeeColumbus.com, which offers a more engaging and user friendly experience for travelers planning their visit to Columbus and exploring everything the city and county has to offer, the release says.
“What we’re unveiling is the new brand identity for the Columbus Area Visitors Center, not a rebrand for the governing bodies of the city of Columbus or Bartholomew County,” Weisensteiner said Tuesday night. “This is (a) new identity represents how we, as a destination management organization, welcome visitors and communicate the story of our destination.”
