Rebranding to Trails Park and Recreation District

Rebranding is a big decision for any company. It often involves changing the name, logo, design, and cohesiveness of a business. Rebrands can be extremely time-consuming to create and implement, but in the case of our rebrand, it was worth it.

In November of 2023, we formally and legally changed our name from Arapahoe Park and Recreation District to Trails Park and Recreation District. In this blog, we’ll share with you the why behind that decision, give you some behind the scenes, explain the process, and share what’s coming in the future.

The Why Behind the Rebrand

Arapahoe Park and Recreation District was formed in 1983, back when a lot of our service area was considered to be unincorporated portions of Arapahoe County. We were designated as a special district and tasked with providing parks, trails, open spaces, and recreational opportunities to the residents in the surrounding areas.

Our demographics, services, and amenities have changed a lot in 40 years. We’ve built 20 different parks, created 9 distinct trails, built The Trails Recreation Center, Lookout Pool, and the Skatepark. We hoped to continue adding to our recreation portfolio, but we began to realize that our name and the logos that were being used throughout the district were confusing and misleading to residents in the community.

People often confused us with Arapahoe County (understandable, given the name), saw us as the Parks and Recreation Division that oversaw all of the local park and rec districts (we’re all separate), thought the Trails Recreation Center was its own individual entity (when it fact it is owned and operated by APRD), or didn’t know about the variety of parks, trails, and open spaces we provide.

We felt that our name was limiting us and causing a lot of unnecessary confusion with our current residents and friends who participate in our recreational opportunities. We wanted to create a brand that would stand out and connect with our audience, one that would continue to inspire a sense of community and family.

That’s why we decided to rebrand our company from Arapahoe Park and Recreation District to Trails Park and Recreation District or TPRD.

Deciding on the Logo

When it came to creating a logo for Trails Park and Recreation District, we knew we wanted to include nods to our previous logos while embracing the new chapter in our history. We designed several logo concepts, experimented with different colors, fonts, shapes, and symbols. Ultimately, the logo evolved into something simple, colorful, and distinctive, with elements of our previous logos.

Initial sketch of new logo

Rebrand Logo Concept 2

Rebrand Logo Concept 6

Final Rebrand Logo

Launching Trails Park and Recreation District

What does it take to launch a full rebrand? A lot of planning and work from an entire team of people!

We announced our rebrand in November of 2023 and began teasing some of the upcoming changes people would begin seeing throughout the district. These included updated signs at Buckley and Lake (pictures coming soon), new social media profiles (now we’re on Instagram, Facebook, Nextdoor, and YouTube), creating a brand new website that merged all of TPRD’s facilities and programs into one location, and a variety of other signage throughout our parks and trails.

What's Next?

The main goal of our rebrand – other than reducing the confusion caused by having the same name as the county – is to help spread awareness of Trails Park and Recreation District and the many facilities, amenities, and programs we offer. This will allow us to expand our district, build new facilities, offer additional programs, and continue to provide exceptional recreational opportunities to the community.

You can help us with our mission by inviting your friends to TPRD special events, participating in programs or classes, providing feedback, sharing our social media posts, and coming to our facilities. We want to be your path to community, health, and family for many years to come!