Think branding is just a logo? Think again — let us break it down for you here.

Behind every good-looking package or ad is a carefully investigated backstory, fastidiously selected colors, and meticulously outlined brand guidelines. While branding businesses is nothing new, businesses aren’t the only entities that need high-quality branding. Cities, townships, and entire countries have also begun branding their space in an effort to lure in tourists, new citizens, and potential business. 

Elements of place branding can include culture, visual symbols, slogans, mission, vision and values.

No matter what size your city is, branding can help put your place on the map. From America all the way over to Australia, here’s a look at some of the best: 

1. NYC

Milton Glaser’s ‘I <3 NY’ artwork is inarguably one of the most iconic city graphics around, but their branding doesn’t stop at one iconic t-shirt.

Bellweather was in charge of creating NYCgo’s official identity – and it reflects NYC’s personality with it’s bright colors, diversity and motion. Attracting more than 60 million visitors a year, the city clear doesn’t have a tourism problem – but this diverse and complex brand brings a life and continuity to the city’s visuals. 

Images via Bellweather and logoworks.com

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2. Melbourne

Developed by Landor, Melbourne’s logo is fresh, energetic, and memorable. Despite being around for a few years, this brand still feels modern and fresh — the sign of a well thought out and designed identity. Encompassing a wide variety of colors and patterns this vibrant brand is a reflection of all that Melbourne life has to offer.

Images via Landor.

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3. Paris

Paris’ most memorable brand doesn’t come from city government, but rather from their tourism organization, the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau. Grapheine’s typographic masterpiece subtly incorporates the French capital’s most famous landmark. And, in our opinion, everything about the color, spacing, and typography are expertly executed… in addition to making Paris look pretty cool!

 Images via Graphiene.

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4. I Amsterdam

Renowned for sex, drugs, and canals, this 2004 campaign helped put Amsterdam back on the map for more than just a fun weekend away. This branding effort was born out of an effort to appeal not only to tourists, but also to those already living in the area.

Despite simple graphics, Kesselskramer’s message is incredibly complex and versatile.

Images via Kesselskramer.

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5. Las Vegas

Funky, fun and full of color, Pink Kitty Creative’s city government branding depicts everything Las Vegas stands for in one: bright lights, late nights, and lots of laughter. While we find the “City of” typography a bit weak, we enjoy the color palette and playfulness of the logo. 

 Images via brandberries.com and underconsideration.

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6. London

London has a lot of rich roots and landmarks. From Big Ben and the London Eye to the monarchy and 2012 Olympics, London is known for a lot of things — but lacks a central message. Their latest rebranding, which was led by Saffron, cleverly includes a taste of the River Thames with the royal red of the union jack. It’s very simple yet incredibly commanding. 

From Saffron’s website: “So, people pick up their ideas about London from books, television, social media and a wide variety of other influences – none of which can be controlled and many of which are misleading. Rocked by the financial crisis, security threats and even street riots London needed a concerted effort to bounce back and regain its confidence as the world’s leading global city.”

Images via Saffron. 

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7. Porto

Redesigned by White Studio in 2014, Porto’s branding is bold, unique and intricate. Without even stepping foot in Portugal, you can get a feel for the vibrance and life that the city has. It gives people a real feel for what the city is about – and the creativity 

 Images from underconsideration.

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8. Colorado

Designed in-house to showcase how spectacular the state is, Colorado’s ‘C’ symbolizes their strength and friendliness while simultaneously bringing their famous and stunning backdrops into the frame. This is a recent rebrand (rolled out in July 2019) so while we’re cautiously optimistic about what the entire brand will look like, we’re holding our breath until full brand guidelines are released.

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Hue & Tone Creative: City Branding Partners

Let’s make your place stand out. Whether you’re a city, state, business, or charity, we can help. Get in touch at (336) 365-8559 or hannah@hueandtonecreative.com to start your rebranding journey today. We’ll get everything from your new logo to print collateral overhauled — on time and on budget.

Here at Hue & Tone Creative, we love working on projects that contribute to a sense of place – especially if that place is our hometown of Greensboro, NC. 

Throughout our work with spaces like Revolution Mill, we’ve developed an interest in all things placemaking, economic development, and real estate related. Whether you’re a marketing generalist or, like us, you strive to take on more economic development projects, we believe placemaking is a concept every marketer should be familiar with. The methods used in effective placemaking can be applied to a number of campaigns across a wide range of industries. 

The Project for Public Spaces (PPS) defines placemaking as “a collaborative process by which we can shape our public realm in order to maximize shared value. More than just promoting better urban design, placemaking facilitates creative patterns of use, paying particular attention to the physical, cultural, and social identities that define a place and support its ongoing evolution.” 

Placemaking is all about creating spaces and places that people want to be – places where citizens feel comfortable living, learning, working, and playing. These places are people friendly, visually interesting, accessible, and memorable. 

Robert Steuteville, editor of Public Square: A CNU Journal, argues that a Quality Place possesses the following features: 

•  A mix of uses

• Effective public spaces

• Broadband capability

• Multiple transportation options

• Multiple housing options

• Preservation of historic structure

• Respect community heritage

• Arts, culture, and creativity

• Recreation

• Green space

• Quiet, unless they are designed to be otherwise

Now that you know what placemaking is, it’s time to figure out how to marry your social media strategy with more traditional placemaking efforts. That’s called Digital Placemaking – and PPS defines it as “the integration of social media into Placemaking practices, which are community-centered, encouraging public participation, collaboration, and transparency.”

As you start to incorporate social media into your placemaking efforts, here’s 5 ideas you can use as a springboard for your brainstorming: 

1. Use social to amplify temporary placemaking efforts

Temporary placemaking is the bootstrap version of true placemaking – and it’s perfect for activating areas people perceive as unsafe. It allows you to experiment with a variety of ideas on a smaller scale, and then grow what worked.  

Good examples of this are an interactive art project, an activity or game, or an event. Even something small like an Instagram-able mural or photo background can help transform an otherwise unused wall. 

 Once you have your project in place, set up a hashtag and a sign or photobooth that will encourage people to use and share their experience. 

2. Use social media to establish your city/space as a tastemaker

Instead of hiring influencers, it’s time to set your own trends -- start utilizing your social accounts to amplify your subject matter expertise. That means using your accounts to show off your expert knowledge about a place – Where do you get the best Pho? What boutique do visitors need to check out? What downtown city corner has an incredible history?  

Answer those questions for your followers and you won’t have to hire someone to show off what’s cool about your city or space.

Hashtagging properly and regularly interacting with followers will help activate people who already live in your city -- and long term you’ll be enticing new people to visit your neck of the woods.

3. Establish transparency using open source data

Did you know City of Greensboro does a good job of making public data available? Their open data program, “Open Gate City” was launched in 2016 to facilitate transparency, promote community engagement, and stimulate innovation. Open Gate City is a collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies' "What Works Cities Initiative."

Check it out here.

The idea behind open data is that data should be readily and freely available to the general public to use and republish as they wish. Additionally, the idea of open government means that access to government documents and proceedings allows for effective public oversight and protects against extensive state secrecy.  

City governments and public agencies can leverage open data to help build positive relationships with the public. In addition to building general good will, these open data efforts are a treasure trove of potential content for municipal marketing efforts. 

4. Create a hashtag campaign that encourages citizens to share their views  

Create a unique hashtag and use it as the central sharing point of your campaign. Embed the hashtag across all your touchpoints – social, web copy, print collateral, direct mail, email advertising, and online ads -- and encourage people to use it when they’re talking about your campaign (or your city).  

Don’t just sit behind your screen though! Hit the streets with merchandise, handouts, spray paint, or banners, and get to know the people you’re targeting. In-person marketing efforts are sure to connect with a new group, not just the same old group of active users that are constantly retweeting you. 

5. Use social media channels as a tool for crowdsourcing data 

With its exponential reach, social media is an incredibly powerful - and free - tool for crowdsourcing. If you’re stumped on what the public wants to see in a space, use social media to start running polls, start discussions, or gather feedback. 

The insights you gain can then be built into future stages of your placemaking campaign! 

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Hue & Tone Creative: Your placemaking partner

Ready to brainstorm some fresh ideas? Or, maybe you just need the creative muscle to execute your ideas? Let’s talk and see if we make a good fit: 336-365-8559.