HEART AFLUTTER IN A CITY ABUZZ
Downtown Scottsdale, AZ Identity: Business System
The first installment of the semester-long community ad campaign exercise in my Advanced Graphic Design I course involved designing an identity system for a community of our choosing, either for an existing community or one devised from make believe. After a spring break vacation to Arizona that included a walking tour of Downtown Scottsdale, I needed no further inspiration to decide. The Phoenix metro area seemed too vibrant and intriguing to not attempt to capture the essence of at least one facet of it in print form.
Referencing the popular painted bull skulls that decorate innumerable homes in Arizona, the circle on the skull's forehead also symbolizes the moon and sun. The delicate wings of the tarantula hawk wasp set behind the skull symbolize what was described as the "buzzing" city life of Downtown Scottsdale, angled downward like rays of light filtering down onto the city.
A fresh teal and green color scheme portrays the complex and lush xeriscaping typical of the Southwest region, employed to an ever greater extent in affluent Scottsdale. The logo is then complemented by a selection of light and modern sans-serif typefaces for the logotype. The tall, vertical orientation of the logo and its crisp lines implies a certain stateliness, while the familiarity of the separate parts of the logo, the rounded edges, and the softness of the colors maintain a level approachability.
Preliminary logo design and map layout sketches
Series of nine bookmarks with district details;
intended as a freebie to be collected by visitors
intended as a freebie to be collected by visitors
Tri-fold downtown area map with locations and activities on the reverse side;
coordinates with the aforementioned district bookmarks
coordinates with the aforementioned district bookmarks
