Katahdin Gazetteer

Branding, Environmental, Print

The Katahdin region in Maine has a long and prosperous history of paper making, but the industry started a gradual decline in the 1980s, culminating with the closure of the last mill in 2014. The loss of its primary employers was devastating to the local economy, resulting in population loss and economic depression. However, the region still bosts abundant assets and natural resources, and by 2018 was ready to start a process of looking forward and envisioning a new future for themselves.

We worked in collaboration with Adam Burk & Co. and Principle Group, on the design aspects of the community convening process, local activations to build awareness and enthusiasm, a weeklong series of community workshops, and ultimately designed the document synthesizing the results and roadmap ahead.

We unified the year long process under the rallying cry “All in Katahdin!” reflecting both that the region has all the assets they need to prosper, and that every resident needs to be “all in” to build their successful future.

This campaign unified a series of listening events, summertime community events, a week of intensive open house workshops, and other creative methods of gathering community input, including a “Postcards to the Future” installation.