Downtown's New Logo
Renaissance, revitalization, progress, booming, momentum: there are many descriptive terms used to encapsulate the changes occurring in Downtown Raleigh. A common theme in these terms indicates a progression from the sleepy downtown of yesteryear to a vibrant, 24-hour urban center that offers a wide array of entertainment, dining, living, shopping, employment, and cultural amenities. To ensure that the iconic, visual identity of downtown matches the current investments in the community and built environment, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance enlisted the pro-bono services of Kelly MarCom, a marketing and public relations firm located in Sanford, NC, to develop a new logo for use in the marketing and branding of Downtown Raleigh.
The new logo underscores the unique characteristics of downtown’s different districts while preserving the importance of interdependence between downtown’s identities. In the logo, each district utilizes a separate color to symbolize its distinctiveness; the districts fit together like pieces of a puzzle to form a vibrant color palate that embodies Downtown Raleigh’s aptitude for providing something for everyone. In addition to the colors representing different districts, the mixed spectrum also implicitly conveys the importance of a diverse mix of living, working, and entertainment options that make downtowns successful.
The designers at Kelly MarCom have created a clean, contemporary look that combines elements of Downtown Raleigh’s rich history with a colorful portrayal of the City’s burgeoning district identities. Raleigh history buffs should identify the embedded homage to the 1792 William Christmas plan for the City of Raleigh used as the logo’s traditional urban streetgrid backbone. Among other planning elements, the original W. Christmas plan called for four streets to radiate from the Capital building in each cardinal direction. These radiating streets are present in new logo, minus the original northern boulevard that was converted into Bicentennial Plaza.
In addition to the logo’s graphic representation and marketing appeal, the new image also possesses a downtown user support application. Referencing the logo assists downtown users by serving as an intuitive wayfinding tool that illustrates the geographic relationships between districts. The term ‘wayfinding’ describes the use of maps, and other geographic cues to assist people in locating their desired destination. In the coming years, the Alliance hopes to further this wayfinding project by hanging banners in each district that reflect their referential color from the new logo. Such an initiative would not only assist with wayfinding within Downtown Raleigh, but also help in the development of district identities. Below is a brief description of the districts and the color chosen to represent each district:
The Moore Square District is symbolized in green to evoke the imagery of the oak tree canopy that shades Downtown Raleigh’s most animated city park.
The Fayetteville Street District is purple to evoke the connotation of royalty as the main street for both Raleigh and North Carolina. Fayetteville Street will soon possess the most grandiose streetscape in the area, thus arguably deserving of the royal hue.
The Warehouse District is characterized by the color red, reminiscent of the district’s proliferation of red brick warehouses.
The Capital District utilizes the color blue as reference to the home for NC’s state government.
Glenwood South is signified in orange to denote the district’s sensational nightlife, entertainment, and housing options.