Sandy Springs Wins 2025 Savvy Award for Performing Arts Center Branding

The City of Sandy Springs is proud to announce that it won the 2025 Savvy Award for the Performing Arts Center's Brand Guidelines in the Publications category for Style or Branding Guide. The award was received at the annual City-County Communications & Marketing Association (3CMA) conference held September 2–5.

Designed in-house by the City's Communications Department in collaboration with the Performing Arts Center (PAC), the PAC Brand Guidelines stood out among cities and counties nationwide, as judged by local government professionals and persons from the professional, consulting, and academic communities who are highly knowledgeable in marketing and communications.

The judges' comments described it as a stunningly designed and highly thematic guide that perfectly captured the Performing Arts Center's identity. The elegant use of branded assets, clear layout, and striking visuals made this a standout entry in both form and function.

After opening in 2018, the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center faced a challenge in distinguishing itself from the surrounding City Springs District, particularly in marketing efforts. This confusion stemmed from the perception that both entities were a single, unified brand, largely due to their proximity and interconnected operations. As a result, the distinct identity and offerings of the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center were sometimes overshadowed, leading potential patrons to overlook its specialized programs and events.

To address this challenge, the Communications Department revised the existing marketing strategy, beginning with crafting a new brand identity for the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center. The new brand identity was created to visually represent the Performing Arts Center, capturing its core mission, vision, and values. The styling for the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center was designed to clearly distinguish it from the City Springs District and the City of Sandy Springs, while positioning the Performing Arts Center as the anchor tenant within the City Springs District.

The City launched the brand in late 2024 and, in January 2025, redesigned its website, SandySpringsPAC.com, as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance its brand and offerings. The new site highlights the PAC's diverse spaces, including Byers Theatre, Studio Theatre, Conference Center, and CityBar & Café. It also serves as the exclusive authorized platform for purchasing tickets to PAC-presented performances.

In the first five months following the new website launch, there were 186,266 views and 54,243 active users. These numbers reflect strong public interest and sustained engagement, suggesting that the redesign—aligned with the updated branding—effectively attracted and retained visitors.

Winning this award is a testament to our team's hard work to establish a brand identity that's rooted in our core mission and unique identifiers, said Bill Haggett, Executive Director of the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center. Our goal has been to attract a diverse audience, increase visibility, and raise awareness for our venue. This brand does that, and I am proud that our team was recognized for the work.