Originally Completed: Jan. 2018
Medium: Digital (Creative Suite)
PROCESS INFO COMING SOON!
This site was recently re-designed from the ground up, and I’m still working on filling in some of the new content. Check back here later for detailed info on the research and process work that went into this project!
Sponsored by Olympia Development, the goal of this group project was to develop a visual identity for the development firm’s new neighborhood project, The District Detroit.
The District is composed of five neighborhoods located between Midtown and Downtown, much of which includes the heavily blighted Cass Corridor district.
The area has a rich history, and it was very important to celebrate The District’s past, rather than cover it up with some flashy new brand. Our visual system was thus heavily inspired by the Motown music that was so prevalent in the city’s past.
Our grid system was based on the five bars found in sheet music, each of which corresponds to one of the five neighborhoods within The District.
Prior to the branding project, The District’s five neighborhoods were simply named after nearby roads or landmarks. We decided to rename each neighborhood to pay tribute to historically important figures of Detroit's past and present.
I also created a set of grid-based icons. The brand’s unique icon style was inspired by the beautiful neon signage and groovy typography of the Motown era, and functions as wayfinding in addition to rhetorical elements.
We assigned each of the five neighborhoods a color and an icon. Coupled with the five-row grid structure, this created a dynamic visual system that could be applied to any media format.
The District contains three sports arenas and several theaters, so one challenge was how to convince the attendees of these events to explore the city and experience the countless other attractions The District has to offer.
Creating proper wayfinding was an important step in achieving this goal. I designed a stylized map of The District, which serves to help clarify the shape and location of each neighborhood.
We also created environmental graphics for anything from bike lanes to parking signs in order to make sure every detail felt like it belonged in The District.
The District was also lacking any form of merchandise, so we designed a series of District Detroit products, ranging from hoodies to plates to pillows.
In addition to branded products, we also suggested some partnerships with local Detroit businesses, such as a limited-edition District vinyl from Third-Man Records and District icon tiles from Pewabic Pottery.
