Cake 'on-brand' with Tiffin, Seneca County

Maybe it's because I'm a sports fan, maybe because I've always been interested in the media, or maybe because I've always had a fascination with places and what makes them unique, but I've always been intrigued by logos. Thus, my reaction was big when some old Gaylord/new Tiffin friends of ours, the Marbens, presented us with a housewarming cake at our new home earlier this week. "Is that the Tiffin logo?" I excitedly asked cake baker, Emma, who nodded in approval. "That is so cool," I exclaimed. Quick "small world" side note — we've known the Marbens for awhile since their son, Jacob , and our daughter, Isabelle, were in the same class together in Michigan. Tom and Beth moved their family to Tiffin a few years ago, and while we remained friends on Facebook and ran into them a time or two when they were visiting home, we never imagined that soon we'd be back in the same community in another state. Small world, indeed. Back to Emma's cake, which turns out is part of her duties for her local 4-H club. It had the logo that I had noticed from the time I first stepped foot in Tiffin. It's hard not to notice the logo which features the flowing Sandusky River, a bridge, the familiar cupola of the Seneca County Justice Center, a pair of downtown buildings and a tree representing beauty and growth. The lettering below the logo is well done and distinctive. The branding can be found all over the place here — promoting the City of Tiffin, Downtown Tiffin, Seneca County, Seneca Regional Planning, Seneca Economic Development, the Seneca County Chamber, Destination Seneca County and the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership. This branding was discussed during a meeting I had with David Zak and Audrey Flood of the economic partnership. They shared with me a document about the branding, and according to which: "Our community's unified brand presents a cohesive identity and impression for those familiar, and those just discovering, the region of Seneca County and the city of Tiffin…The custom-designed brand reflects the attributes that our community members have in common, creating a positive and attractive environment for people and businesses alike." As someone who is "just discovering" the region, I find this intentional branding to be exciting, signifying progress, potential and cohesiveness. I feel that communities work best when its people and businesses are working together, and to an outsider, the branding signifies entities working together. Plus, it's just plain cool. Another part of the branding is the slogan: "A Life Connected." As defined in the branding materials: "In Tiffin, we are driven by what truly matters in life: Being surrounded by those you love most in a place that feels like home." I know this is not breaking news and this branding has been in place long before I got here, but it's a piece of this community I was initially impressed with and continued to be. So, well done Emma on incorporating this neat logo onto our cake. By the way, the cake was really good! Jeremy Speer is the publisher of The Advertiser-Tribune. He can be reached at jspeer@advertiser-tribune.com.