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Case Study

A Case Study | Friends of Summerstown Trails Association

Photos by Jeff Poissant, RGD.

Collaboration is the key to success

Brand Creation

New bilingual trail logo and visual identity that captured the spirit of cross-country skiing and year-round recreation
Writing and editing promotional text

Content Creation

Original photography, promotional copy, and international-standard topographical trail maps
Responsive websites

Sign Production

Design, weatherproof printing, and supply of all outdoor trailhead, junction, and parking signs
 
Scalable Solutions: Open-source platforms with maximum bandwidth, growing seamlessly with your business.

Canadian Hosting

Domain and website hosting from 2009 until winter 2023 (complementing the volunteer-maintained site)
 

Friends of the Summerstown Trails
— Brand Creation & Wayfinding (2009–2023)

Friends of the Summerstown Trails, Inc. (FOTST) is a community-driven non-profit dedicated to developing and maintaining multi-use recreational trails in the beautiful Summerstown Forest. Offering year-round access for hiking, biking, birding, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing, the trails wind through forest land owned by the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry, managed by the South Nation Conservation Authority, and extend into adjacent Crown land overseen by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

In November 2009, the newly formed Friends of the Summerstown Trails Association partnered with Evolving Media & Design Inc, to establish a strong, cohesive visual identity and supporting materials as they prepared to open the trails to the public.

Notably, this was not Evolving Media’s first collaboration with the local trails community. Between 2006 and 2010, Jeff Poissant had led the complete rebranding of the neighbouring Friends of the Glengarry Trails Association — designing its logo, trail maps, and signage system that are still in use today. When the newly formed Friends of the Summerstown Trails needed a strong, authentic identity of their own, they deliberately returned to the designer who already knew the region, the volunteers, and the unique demands of multi-season forest trails in Eastern Ontario.

Visit the Glengarry Trails

A NEW LOGO IS BORN
Jeff Poissant, RGD, worked with the newly formed, Friends of Summerstown Trails Association to design and print an outdoor sign. Before we could design the sign, we needed to design a new logo for the association, one that was representative of what the trails were.

Jeff designed a logo that truly emphasized the main reason why the association exists – to cross country ski during the winter season.

YOU ARE HERE
Evolving Media was commissioned to create a new outdoor sign to be installed by Summerstown Road.

The Friends of Summerstown Trails Association was, as I said, a newly formed organization. We designed a new bilingual logo for the organization, recreated the old mark for “Cross Country SKI de fond” and used topographical map symbols to highlight the main features of the trails.

This was the first of many projects to create an identifiable brand.

Outdoor road sign for the Summerstown Trails, designed by Jeff Poissant, RGD.
The original road sign marking the entrance of the Cross Country Ski trails in Summerstown, Ontario. Photo by Jeff Poissant.
Photo provided by FSTA, edited by Jeff Poissant for use in the trail brochure

Photo provided by FSTA, edited by Jeff Poissant.

Trail map illustration for the Summerstown Trails by Jeff Poissant, RGD.

Topographical Trail Map

A detailed, easy-to-read topographical map was created following international standards. Printed on durable outdoor signage, it gave users confidence in navigation while highlighting trail difficulty, distances, and points of interest.
Read the 2012 Trail Map (7MB PDF)

Parking & Directional Signs

To guide visitors safely — especially in winter when the access road runs alongside marshy areas — we designed and printed a series of parking and directional signs installed along the gravel entrance road.
Parking sign designed by Jeff Poissant, RGD
A brochure for the Summerstown Trails designed by Jeff Poissant, RGD.

Promotional Brochure

The final piece: a vibrant, full-colour trifold brochure distributed throughout the region in early 2010. Placed in travel info centres, local schools, municipal offices, and tourism kiosks, it helped introduce thousands of people to the new Summerstown Trails network.
Read the brochure (9MB PDF)