Comox residents will soon see brand new downtown banners flapping in the breeze and a new branding design around town.The Comox Business in Action (BIA) held a competition for a new downtown banner design and the organization's new branding during January and February as part of its rebranding process.Comox BIA marketing committee chair Edd Moyes said the decision to hold a local competition came easily. "We thought, 'There is so much talent in the Valley, why don't we have a competition amongst everybody that lives in the Comox Valley 鈥� in their eyes, how they see Comox,' " explained Moyes.Moyes said 16 submissions rolled in by deadline at the end of February and a banner design winner and branding design winner were selected.Ron Coutts moved to Comox in early January and promptly created the winning banner design. Coutts retired from his long-held position as a Telus cellular technician in Vancouver, and started snapping shots of Comox as soon as he got to town since photography is one of his hobbies.He then altered some of those photos in Adobe Photoshop to create the banners.He said he fell in love with the town as soon as he got here."I feel like we've died and gone to heaven. You've got the marina here, you've got the fish sales, I mean you're right on the ocean," he said."I can see the harbour, I can see up to the glacier, the swans are flying over the harbour, the eagles are flying by every day; there's just so much going on."Jim Thomson had a bit more time to experience Comox before creating the winning branding design having moved here in June.Thomson moved here after working as a social worker in a long-term care facility in Edmonton for over 20 years. When he got here, he also took up his passion of photography, and the branding is made up of a series of photos he took and combined together to illustrate what Comox means to him.He used four words to help illustrate his point: captivate, connect, cultivate and care."This was my opportunity to say 'here are your set of new eyes, a set of fresh eyes,'" he said. "I was called (to Comox). After a while I felt connected. With more time now, I feel captivated because I've seen such a diversity of things that are here."Moyes said the competition created conversation and excitement around the Comox BIA's rebranding, and he expects more people will be attracted to the town."This is going to entice more people to come to Comox when they see the rebranding and when they get here to see the new exciting banners," said Moyes. "It's a start in what we're trying to do with the BIA in Comox to really come up with some exciting new programs."Moyes also said to keep an eye out for other rebranding the BIA has in the works, including an updated website.writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com
