Friends of Secrest Arboretum

Company or website name

Friends of Secrest Arboretum

Slogan or Tagline

none

Describe your company and organization and target audience

Friends of Secrest Arboretum (FSA) wants to connect the wider community (folks of ALL ages!) with the beautiful, fun, vibrant, inclusive, restorative nature of ornamental plants and horticulture and its critical importance to modern life. Plants and horticulture are awesome and we want more people to "drink the kool-aid". Plants are a celebration we want everybody to enjoy!

(FSA) is 501(c)(3) non-profit that supports and promotes Secrest Arboretum in Wooster, OH. Secrest Arboretum (www.secrest.osu.edu) is part of the Wooster Campus of Ohio State University (OSU) ( https://wooster.osu.edu/home) and managed by the University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

Dating to 1904, Secrest Arboretum has historically served as an outdoor laboratory for a wide range of plant-related research activities. The Arboretum covers approximately 115 acres and contains over 2,000 native and introduced species and varieties of trees, shrubs, and other plants. It is essentially a living museum of plants that can be grown in northern Ohio and similar climates. The primary focus is ornamental horticulture—or the study & practice of using plants and gardens for their many intrinsic or functional benefits to society.

Over the last 25 years, Secrest has become an increasingly public facility. Admission is free 365 days a year. Most visitors enjoy the colorful display gardens, extensive paved walkways, and outdoor event spaces—amidst acres of green lawn and a diverse collection of ornamental trees and other plants. Our grounds are the perfect setting for a brisk walk, business retreat or picnic lunch with the family.

In the same way that similar “Friends” organizations support local libraries, parks, zoos and other public amenities, FSA’s role is to sustain and grow Secrest by providing funding above and beyond the Arboretum’s annual budget set by OSU. Funds are raised through memberships, donations, plant sales and other public events.

The design should have the following

We need to have the words “Friends of Secrest Arboretum.” The acronym “FSA” could be used in a simpler, secondary logo. While a tagline might be nice, we don’t have one. Maybe the logo will generate ideas for the tagline. Please note that FSA is not affiliated with “The Ohio State University” in any way so the use of that name, related images or logos is not possible.

See below for three iconic plants at Secrest Arboretum whose color, texture, shape, or likeness might be nice to capture in a logo. However, the use of one or more of these (or parts of these) is NOT MANDATORY to win this contest.

Dawn Redwood
Article about their history, including at Secrest:
https://bygl.osu.edu/node/601

Crabapples
Drone footage from last spring to illustrate color:https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=251315119447481

Green Spiral Silver Fir:
Nationally recognized specimen:
https://conifersociety.org/conifers/abies-alba-green-spiral/

This logo will be used for

• Online (Website, facebook etc.)
• Print (business cards, letterheads, brochures etc.)
• Merchandise (mugs, t-shirts etc.)
• Signs (including shops, billboards etc.)

This design should not have this in the entries

Any symbology related to Ohio State University or colors (scarlet/red & gray)

What style of logo would you like?

Colors to use in the design

Greens & other earth tones and/or floral colors like pink, white, purple are suggested but not required

Briefly describe your contest

Help us connect our community to the beauty of Secrest Arboretum & celebrate horticulture!