Rebranding a Community Icon
Atlanta Beltline
My Role
Creative Direction, Storytelling, Stylescapes, UI Design, Branding
Overview
The Atlanta Beltline, a 22-mile loop of multi-use trails, has transformed Atlanta by connecting neighborhoods, showcasing public art, and boosting local development. For this new-business pitch, our goal was to reimagine the Beltline brand to make it more authentic to Atlanta, reflecting the vibrancy and cultural impact it brings to the city. In this initial exploration, we focused on demonstrating how foundational elements like color and typography could convey a sense of community, art, and connection in a brand that truly feels like Atlanta.
Challenges
For creative exploration, I leaned into a more type forward design and quickly fell in love with the Monologue typeface. It has these awesome connecting ligatures that are highly customizable and aligned with my motif of connection.
Solution
We developed a bold new brand direction that better represented the Beltline’s spirit and Atlanta’s cultural richness. This direction relied heavily on photography, bringing Atlanta’s art, neighborhoods, and people to the forefront. The rebrand spoke more authentically to Atlanta’s culture, highlighting the Beltline’s role as a hub for art, connectivity, and community.
Delight
Typography was at the heart of this aesthetic. We selected the highly customizable typeface Monologue, which features unique ligatures that became a motif for connection, symbolizing the Beltline’s impact in linking Atlanta’s diverse neighborhoods. This typographic choice seamlessly aligned with the Beltline’s mission, infusing the brand with personality and vibrancy.
Conclusion
While the project was ultimately awarded to an existing agency partner, the exploration highlighted the potential of a more authentic, community-centered approach to the Atlanta Beltline brand. Though the Beltline opted to retain a corporate aesthetic, this project strengthened our resolve to continue finding ways to contribute to Atlanta’s local identity, creating brand experiences that are handcrafted and rooted in community.
1
Stylescape
8
Hours of Production
5
Product Mockups
