More to C - Columbus Indiana

What do Paul Rand, Indiana, and motors have in common?
Few small American cities can claim a visual identity shaped by one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. Columbus, Indiana can, thanks to Paul Rand. And now, more than half a century later, that design legacy has been reawakened through a destination rebrand led by Indianapolis creative agency The Basement.
In the 1960s, when Cummins relocated to Columbus and helped establish the city as an architecture and design hub, Rand was commissioned to design Cummins’ corporate identity, having a reputation for branding companies like ABC, IBM, and American Express. One of his rejected logo concepts, a lively circular “Dancing C”, ultimately became the logo of the Columbus Area Visitors Center. Over time, however, the city’s tourism brand had become visually boxed in and narrowly associated with architecture alone, despite the city offering far more to today’s traveler.
When the Columbus Area Visitors Center initiated its first rebrand in over 15 years, The Basement saw an opportunity not to replace Rand’s work, but to reintroduce his design philosophy, clarity, geometry, and memorability in a way that speaks to modern visitors. The result is a refreshed identity system that honors Columbus’s design heritage while expanding its story beyond architecture.