What? You changed the logo? And the name?

New ownership brings lots of changes — a fresh coat of paint, new retail products, and a new brand identity. 

Why a new logo? A new logo visually represents that Woods & Waters is evolving after more than 17 years of serving the Les Cheneaux area. And because I am a graphic designer and was eager to have the opportunity to craft a new brand identity for the business. The process took months of pondering, doodling, concepting, asking for input, and refining. I developed four solid concepts that each reflected something special about the LCI: the water, the trees, the birds. Some were very modern, some were very representational. But it was unanimous that the "winning" design reflected exactly the feel I was trying to capture in a visual mark.

The LCI are on the edge of the Hiawatha National Forest, and Government Island is actually part of the Hiawatha. I've always loved the shape of the US Forest Service signs (most people associate their signs with the National Park Service by the way, but it's the USFS that has the cool ones!). That's the inspiration behind the top shape. The lower part of the logo ties into the waters of Lake Huron where we spend so much time gazing and playing. The inverted wave captures Lake Huron's waters on a "spicy" day (and I'm looking out on little white caps right now on Hessel Bay!).

The colors are of the water and the tamaracks and hemlocks in the fall, or a sunset. You can choose.

Typefaces are another important design element, and there's thought here too. The word "woods" is set in a tall font that represents the trees that comprise the Hiawatha, surrounding cedar stands, and the Niagara Escarpment's hardwood forests. The typeface for "waters" is reminiscent of all the hand-lettered wooden boats running the island channels. It is vintage and full of character — just like those launches.

Lastly, the name itself has changed. We made "waters" plural because we guide trips on lakes Huron, Superior, and Michigan. And we dropped the word "ecotours" from our name, not because we aren't still doing ecotours, but because it's just simpler to remember our name. I abide by the "keep in simple" mantra! And the eco is still there in the web domain ".eco" which signifies our commitment to being eco-conscious.

Even with the new look, rest assured what we haven't changed is the personal attention, quality guides, and dedication to running safe trips. We look forward to adventuring with you soon! 

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