How Data and Design Revitalized Atlantic City
This is a branding project, but wait, stick with me. During the course of this project I found that the branding process aligns with the UX process, leverages user experience principles and contributes to solving real user issues. There was a problem to solve, we conducted research to uncover insights, iterated on design, conducted user testing, and delivered an end-product that resonated with target audiences and met client goals.
Project Overview
Project: Brand identity & website
Goal: Create a brand that improves consumer perceptions and increases visitation to Atlantic City
Role: Art Director (design strategy, stakeholder presentations, design execution)
Team: Travis Yewell (Design Dir.), Harrison Kressler (Designer), Kristian Gonzales (Lead Eng.)
Design Tool: Adobe CC, Figma
Results:
64.3% increase in positive receptivity that AC is a place for business
60% increase in meeting planners sourcing AC for an event
91% YOY increase in website traffic
The Opportunity
Once referred to as "America's Playground", Atlantic City, New Jersey had been a dazzling destination of glitz and glam where the rich and famous vacationed in the early 20th century. With war, the industrial revolution and access to new modes of transportation, priorities for vacationing and more options for location shifted visitors away from Atlantic City. In an effort to bring tourism back to the city, casinos were introduced in the 1970's which, over time, began to create a narrative that Atlantic City was a place for crime, drugs and corruption. Meet AC, Atlantic City’s Destination Marketing Organization, teamed up with my design team at Simpleview to rebrand as Visit Atlantic City, take hold of the city's narrative and influence the greater reputation of AC in the minds of all travelers.
Atlantic City was up against unfavorable consumer perceptions.
Rebrand Goals
Influence the greater reputation of Atlantic City in the minds of all travelers
Take ownership of Atlantic City's narrative visually, emotionally and verbally
Develop a brand backed by data and visitor insights research
Amplify the most appealing qualities of differentiation and mitigate weaknesses
Develop a fresh and honest identity
Establish Atlantic City as a place to market meetings and events
The Research Phase
My design team partnered with tourism market research firm, Future Partners to conduct comprehensive primary research to gain data and insights on Atlantic City as a destination and factors affecting the behaviors, preferences, and needs of its target audiences.
Quantitative & qualitative research
17 focus groups
1k surveys
Audiences: Meeting planners, leisure travelers, local residents, community stakeholders
Focus groups rating Atlantic City’s photography and traveler type.
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High: Local food scene, live music & performing arts, opportunities to relax, water activities
Low: Safety, cleanliness, being in nature, being welcoming & family-friendly
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High: Waterfront access, sports & outdoor recreation, entertainment & nightlife
Low: Familiarity with clients and attendees, flights & airport lift, safety, lack of “wow” factor
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• Beaches / Free Access
• Waterfront Bars & Restaurants
• Watersports & Activities
• Historic Boardwalk, Boardwalk Culture, Amusement Piers
• Gambling, Casinos, Live Entertainment & Headliner Events
• Diverse Dining Scene
• A Place to Celebrate Life’s Greatest Moments
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• A lack of offerings (only casinos)
• Safety concerns
• Cleanliness & maintenance issues
• Perceptions of being out-dated & irrelevant
• Not welcoming or family-friendly
• Airport access & transportation
Research Insights
Click images to enlarge
Examples of the data & findings.
The Brand Development Phase
What did we need to do?…
Counteract the negative perceptions of the city by combining a vibrant aesthetic with positive messaging
Use imagery that depicts the city as clean and welcoming
Showcase activities and attractions outside of gaming/casinos
Build a meetings-first brand centered around the spirited and playful nature of Atlantic City
Positively utilize the brand equity of the destination when marketing to meeting planners and attendees
Establish the link between the city’s offsite leisure activities and their positive effect on team morale, productivity, innovation, and building strong connections
We began to synthesize the insights from the destination immersion and data findings into brand goals and design solutions. In collaboration with Meet AC, the destination’s brand story, pillars and personality traits were developed to guide the brand forward.
Click images to enlarge
SWOT analysis and mapping key attributes and goals to pillars and personality traits.
Brand Story
We developed the brand story as our north star - a narrative that communicates the values, personality, and value proposition, aiming to establish an emotional connection with the audience and create a distinctive brand identity.
We mean business when it comes to hosting an inspiring and memorable event. No matter the time of day, one can channel the city’s energetic spirit to inspire creativity, growth and productivity among teammates, coworkers, and the like. Atlantic City is the perfect place to celebrate the “work hard, play hard” mentality. From the boardroom to the boardwalk, we bring together like-minded, hardworking professionals.
Brand Personality
The Brand Personality reflects the inherent nature, positive qualities and the of voice of Atlantic City. These unique characteristics serve to encourage consistency, guide the tone of voice in messaging and direct the creative decisions made in the production of marketing collateral.
Brand Pillars
The Brand Pillars are the unique touchpoints, values and characteristics that set the foundation of the brand and set it apart from competitors. They align with the values and desires of the audience in order to encourage positive engagement and endorsement of the brand.
Click images to enlarge
Examples of four of the six brand pillars and their content topics to be used in marketing efforts.
Design Ideations
Visual Rationale
A fun and light-hearted aesthetic
Expressive typography, visual elements, and compositions that are spirited and full of life
Wave shapes to create movement, also representing the coastal waters
Colors to be vibrant, exciting and bold
Supporting type has friendly and welcoming, rounded letterforms
Logo Development
Visual Breakdown
Typography is a playful script
Handwritten nature gives it a personal touch
Expressive, alluding to the creative nature of the community
Has personality but is approachable and friendly
Historic signage/ “Name in lights” references
Brand In-use
need to update
Creative Testing
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UX Principles Applied
User-Centered Design = Customer-Centric Branding
Just as UX focuses on user needs, our brand development process prioritized the target audience’s emotions, expectations, and desires. Understanding the consumer pain points and aspirations guided us to create messaging, visuals, and products that resonate. For Atlantic City this meant things like communicating offerings outside of gaming and ensuring the city looked safe and clean. For meeting planners, messaging focused on incentives, venue options and activities an attendee could do off-site.
Consistency = Brand Recognition
Just as UX ensures a consistent experience across different touchpoints, branding should do the same. The brand guides a cohesive aesthetic and messaging across marketing materials, website, social platforms, etc., reinforcing trust and recognition. The Brand Identity Guidelines we created ensures everyone on the internal team knows how to communicate and execute the messaging and visuals so that the narrative remains controlled and consistent.
Emotional Design = Strong Brand Identity
UX taps into emotions through colors, typography, and interactions. Branding should evoke specific feelings through visuals and storytelling. For Atlantic City, every aspect of the aesthetic was given deep thought into what reaction it would evoke in the audience and how it related to the destination. An instance of this is seen in the brand’s main color Iconic Red, as it represents the spirit and passion of the locals, while also communicating excitement and warmth.
Accessibility = Inclusive Branding
UX ensures designs are accessible to all users, and branding should be inclusive in representation and messaging, and ensures that the brand’s application is accessible in nature. For example, while developing the brand, we paid close attention to choosing colors that would have pass color contrast checks for ADA compliance, knowing we would be creating the website.
Feedback and Iteration = Creative Testing & Brand Evolution
UX relies on testing and iteration, and brands should evolve based on customer feedback and market trends. We conducted creative testing to ensure the photography, design and messaging all communicated the goals we set out to achieve, and that they resonated with the target audiences.
Results
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64.3% increase in receptivity that AC is a place for business
60% increase in meeting planners sourcing AC for an event
91% YOY increase in website traffic
