The annual Illinois Association of Park Districts/Illinois Park and Recreation Association’s Soaring to New Heights Conference is a long-awaited event for thousands of parks and recreation employees.
After a virtual event last year, Batavia Park District employees were happy to attend the conference in Chicago in person Jan. 27-29, and our district proudly scooped up several wins at the Agency Showcase Competition.
The lively and professionally judged competition honors marketing and communication excellence and highlights the best and brightest ideas from park, recreation and conservation agencies across the state.
Batavia Park District received first place in the Printed Brochure Series category, first place in the Large Format Marketing category, third place in the Logo Design category and fourth place in the Print Promotional category.
The first award is for the district’s quarterly brochure or “Fun Guide;” the second two awards capture the stellar rebranding of Hall Quarry Beach, Batavia’s iconic summer destination; and the fourth award is for a postcard for the Quarry’s reopening after being closed in 2020 due to the pandemic.
“Congratulations to Laura Ferguson on the very well-deserved recognition for her fantastic design work and to the entire marketing team on a creative collaboration with the brochure series,” Park District Executive Director Allison Niemela said. “Our residents can be proud of having a park district that puts Batavia in the spotlight throughout the state of Illinois.”
Ferguson, graphic design and media specialist, attended the conference and accepted the awards on behalf of the Batavia Park District. Ferguson is a member of IPRA’s Communications and Marketing Section and served on the Agency Showcase Committee.
In this year’s contest, there were 13 categories, more than 190 entries and more than 570 scorecards from the judges.
“It feels so amazing to have done well in the Agency Showcase Competition this year! These awards truly mean so much to me, especially now because of the many times we’ve had to pivot and adapt to change,” Ferguson said. “Overall, I’m very honored and hope to continue to create great things with the marketing team.”
The park district has earned several Agency Showcase awards throughout the years, and we look forward to the stringent competition. Contest entries are judged in many categories, including originality, creativity, writing, layout design, cover design, engagement and organization.
Award details
Logo Design: Unveiled in May 2021, signage throughout Hall Quarry Beach was rebranded. Our in-house graphic designer Ferguson created a new logo, a fresh look for the quarry’s mascot Chuck the Duck, modern signage and our first-ever welcome sign.
Elements from the previous Quarry logo were incorporated into the new one. The new logo contains elements representing sand, water and sun and is playful and clean – a more sophisticated approach for a modern audience. There is strength in its simplicity. It features a bolder-style font and is more scalable. The yellow shade used matches the yellow in the park district’s logo, which further connects the brands.
Large Format Marketing: A vibrant 7-foot-by-4-foot steel welcome sign incorporates the quarry brand’s color palette, along with the new logo. The “Hello, Friends” sign features Chuck the Duck greeting visitors and beckons sweet summer selfies, especially for the many tweens and teenagers who frequent the Quarry each summer. As families and newcomers alike enjoy the Quarry, this welcome sign and the Quarry continue to gain attention via social media post location tags and the hashtag #hallquarrybeach.
Printed Brochure Series: Aligned with the Batavia Park District’s tagline, “Your Fun is our Business,” our quarterly program brochure is called a “Fun Guide.” It lists seasonal recreational opportunities for residents. The district’s marketing department works with Kearns Design Group of Chicago to produce these quarterly publications, which invite all ages to make a personal connection with health and wellness.
Our brochures feature a fresh, minimalistic design befitting the sophisticated community it serves. Similar to modern magazines, the brochure covers are vibrant and feature close-up images and few distracting words. Photos in the brochure personify joy and energy and show our residents authentically having fun. The generous use of white space in each brochure allows for a cleaner appearance with greater balance and readability.
Established in 1944, the IPRA serves nearly 2,500 park, recreation and conservation professionals throughout the state and is a national leader in providing premier education, networking and resources. For a complete list of IPRA award winners, visit ILipra.org.
For information on Batavia Park District programs and events, call 630-879-5235 or visit bataviaparks.org. Look for our next Fun Guide at the end of this month!