If you know anything about South Carolina you know that you can find the Palmetto Tree symbol literally everywhere. It’s on our state flag after all, and is one of the most recognizable symbols in the US. Its no surprise then that thousands of businesses in the state use the word “Palmetto” in their name. So I must confess to being a bit disappointed when a client we were assigned to do a whole range of graphic work for set out to rename their business “Palmetto Technology Group”. No cool, technically savvy, forward looking, 21st century name for these guys. But now that we’ve done that work, which included a logo, brochure, event promotion and web site, I think they might have made a good choice, despite the common place nature of the name. The “Palmetto” name is deeply embedded in South Carolina culture. The streets of Charleston, for example, are lined with the iconic tree and it has an interesting historical story attached to it. The word “Palmetto” exudes “Old South” hospitality and tradition. What better way to bring an element of stability and comfort to the minefield of technology services. Most of this client’s customers will know little or nothing about the services he provides but will need them performed with expertise and excellence just the same. Attempting to establish confidence and comfort through a popular, traditional name may turn out to be a decent corporate identity strategy for a technology business based in the good old south.
This is the logo and brochure cover design I recently did for them and The Beacon Company, their marketing firm.
