LBB offers services to individuals with vision loss in Franklin, Gadsden, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, and Wakulla counties. Services include Orientation and Mobility, Vocation Rehabilitation, Assistive Technology, Services for Children and Teens, iPhone training, and support groups.      

A Case for Rebranding: Lighthouse of the Big Bend

How many of you have been asked, “Which lighthouse is that?” when talking about Lighthouse of the Big Bend. Don’t worry. You’re not alone!

With the majestic St. Mark’s Lighthouse in such close proximity, it’s only natural for companies in the Big Bend to make reference to the lighthouse as a symbol of their work. After all, St. Mark’s is one of the landmarks that makes our area unique, as well as a symbol for illumination, guidance, and safety.

For Lighthouse of the Big Bend, the word “lighthouse” has always had a special meaning. The people with vision loss that we serve come to us looking for a guiding light that can brighten their path through a dimly lit world. In that sense, the name Lighthouse of the Big Bend has been a natural fit. In fact, the lighthouse metaphor is so fitting that it’s actually common among organizations that serve people with vision loss across the nation. Many of our peer organizations that provide services to people who are blind or visually impaired across the country go by some variation of the name Lighthouse of the Blind.

Today, however, we find ourselves having an identity crisis. With the lighthouse being such a powerful symbol, and our own local lighthouse being so well known, there’s a proliferation of local “lighthouses.” A Google search for “Lighthouse in Tallahassee, Florida” yields results linking to a children’s home, a thrift store, a church, a school, an actual lighthouse, a health insurance plan, a construction company, a property rental company, a publishing company, and an auto repair shop. Imagine learning you have a degenerative eye condition, turning to the internet to look for resources, and finding such a confusing set of results.

With the incidence of vision loss on the rise, and approximately 14,000 people in the Big Bend having a visual impairment according to the most recent Census, it is more important than ever for Lighthouse of the Big Bend to stand out. We need to make sure the people who need us are able to find us.

That’s why we’ve decided to make a change. Today, our organization is retiring the name Lighthouse of the Big Bend, along with our blue and yellow logo featuring a lighthouse and the tag line “guiding people through vision loss.” Today, we are reinventing ourselves as LBB.

Along with our new name, we’re also introducing a new look. LBB’s new visual identity will feature a high contrast red and black logo with a clean, easy to read sans serif font. The logo also features the outline of an eye, to clearly represent our mission to serve people with vision loss. The white cane appears in the design, representing our commitment to increasing white cane awareness. Finally, our new tag line “Seeing Independence” reinforces LBB’s vision – a vision of a community where all people with vision loss can live, learn, and work independently.

This transition, from Lighthouse of the Big Bend to LBB, represents an exciting new chapter for our organization, and for our efforts to connect individuals with vision loss with the services and supports they need to thrive. With our new name, and our new look, we look forward to making it clear that we’re here to bring attention to the needs of our friends, neighbors, and family members with vision loss, and to make it possible for the people we serve to find their way to the fulfilling, independent lives here in the Big Bend that they deserve.

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