Outer Hebrides rebranded as "life on the edge" THE island communities of the Outer Hebrides have been given a new brand in a bid to tempt island-hopping visitors to "experience life on the edge." The team behind the new promotional image for the interconnected island chain claim it will provide the area with a massive economic boost. Currently the 200,000 visitors each year generate in excess of £50million to the local economy and support over 1,000 jobs. The new £150,000 brand aims to encourage tourists from across the world to visit and experience "a unique and diverse island journey" on the edge of Europe's Atlantic Ocean. Nick Needham of creative agency Bright 3D claims the brand will position the Outer Hebrides as a top global destination option offering exciting opportunities for island hopping holidays. He claims it highlights the unique and diverse appeal of the islands" culture, heritage, wildlife and way of life, appealing to both traditional and emerging tourist markets. Mr Needham said: "Creating an identity for a destination like the Outer Hebrides is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and one that comes with an sense of responsibility to the people who live, work and holiday there. With such diversity across the islands, one of the biggest challenges was to create a brand identity that would reflect the overall destination, yet give individual islands the chance to express their own personality. We ran a series of workshops on the islands to discover what the Outer Hebrides meant to people and to find the common themes linking them together. These themes of communities, landscapes, journeys, senses and contrasts are core to the proposition and are brought to life through a series of graphic wordals. "The Brand marque is simple and timeless, and the juxtaposition of graphic and text reinforces the strap line "Experience life on the Edge."" The brand launch is part of a £150,000 tourism initiative spearheaded by The Outer Hebrides Tourism Industry Association (OHTIA) with support from LEADER, the local authority Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Natural Heritage. Together with the launch of a dedicated destination website later in the year, the initiative aims to increase visitor numbers to the Outer Hebrides from the current 200,000-a-year and boost the islands" economy. Ian Fordham, chair of OHTIA, said: "The Outer Hebrides offer visitors a unique and enriching experience and we felt it was important that this was represented with a strong, vibrant and recognisable brand that encompassed all the individual islands. The brand builds on the growing desire for industry lead action and acts as a catalyst for the creation of a unified approach to destination marketing, with the aim of increasing visitor numbers and boosting the local economy. "The new brand will not only bring together those working within the tourism industry throughout the islands, but it will also help position the islands" unique identity in the minds of current and potential visitors. We hope that when they visit they will be encouraged to stay longer, spend more and make many return visits to the islands.