Roxborough Case Study
Branding & Visual Identity

Roxborough Development Corporation

The Roxborough Development Corporation was looking to pivot their communication and—instead of rebranding themselves—brand their neighborhood.

 

The Client Need

Their old website had become outdated and was not a resource for the community. They came to P’unk Ave looking for help in repositioning themselves and to emphasize the vibrant and proud community of Roxborough.

“Overall the response from the board was excitement and pride in the new materials. We feel strongly this will be carried into the neighborhood and beyond as we begin to roll things out.“
— James Calamia, Executive Director, Roxborough Development Corporation
roxborough imac

Goals for the project:

  • Engage with stakeholders and community members to create buy-in for the change.  

  • Create a brand that is an authentic representation of the neighborhood, giving a sense of what they are, and what they can be.  

  • Create a website that will serve as “all things Roxborough” for the entire community.  

  • Harness the strength of the neighborhood and leverage that to support the re-emerging business district on Ridge Avenue.

 

roxborough logo

Our Work

With the goals of the project so clear, we laid out a process that would help us achieve them. Some highlights of what we went through with the Roxborough team were: 

 

Interviews

We interviewed members and board members of the Roxborough Development Corporation, local business owners, members of the civic association, and residents to get an understanding of what makes Roxborough Roxborough.  

 

Walking Tour

After our interviews, we took to the field to get a walking tour of Roxborough, a historically rich and eye opening experience that helped deepen our research.  

 

Stakeholder Workshop

We conducted a workshop for stakeholders to further explore and test our research. We gathered in Roxborough with roughly 20 community members and worked through the needs for the brand and website.

 

 

roxborough workshop 2
roxborough workshop 1

Branding

Our mission in branding Roxborough was to first uncover their unique promise. What does Roxborough offer that other neighborhoods don’t? We approached this branding by digging into our research and rigorously attempting to answer that question. ​  

 

Website Redesign

We set out to design a site that served the whole community, not just a subsect. It was most important to create a site that would serve as the front door to the community and promote all the neighborhood has to offer.

 

roxborough mood boards
We presented a few mood boards to the Roxborough team as a kicking off point for the discussion around visual brand direction. This helped us refine which way to go.
roxborough sketches
Sketches and initial ideas from an internal whiteboarding session.
roxborough slides 1
One of Roxborough's goals in creating a new brand was to honor where they came from, where they are currently, and show where they are going. We took inspiration for the logo type from the many arched bridges spanning the Schuylkill—which also represents the metaphorical bridge of the neighborhood's journey.
roxborough slides 2
One of the themes we heard over and over in our research was that living in Roxborough meant that "everything was within reach". We created this secondary mark as a way to represent this idea. Through different color executions it can also represent the three pillars of the neighborhood—Family, History, & Nature.
“As you have likely experienced in the past, presenting new branding materials to a larger group can be a challenge. After going through the presentation Jack Wheeler, a founding member of the RDC and previous President of the Roxborough Business Association commented "I don't like it, I love it". “
— James Calamia, Executive Director, Roxborough Development Corporation
roxborough posters

The Outcome

We helped Roxborough identify their values and provided a path towards living them.

Roxborough was aware of who they were, but less clear on how to communicate it. We were able to offer a perspective with a sense of clarity that helped cut through to the core of who they are.

 

We created a brand that resonated with community members.

We were searching for the connective thread that ran through all of the unique things we heard from community members about what makes Roxborough special. We were able to create a brand that resonated with stakeholders and diverse community members alike.

 

roxborough screens
roxborough brand guidelines

We empowered the Roxborough Development Corporation by giving them a website that serves their needs as promoters of the neighborhood.

One of the biggest pains in the everyday workflow of the RDC was their inability to update their website with ease. By giving them a space to easily publish their content, they are enabled to focus on their mission and not the woes of technology.

 

roxborough ipad
roxborough print material
roxborough instagram
Roxborough Balloon
Roxborough Trash Can
The Roxborough Development Corporation worked with a local muralist to create a design for the trash receptacles on Ridge Ave incorporating the new branding.
roxborough mobile screens
roxborough mural
roxborough banner
roxborough identity instagram
roxborough logo 2

Roxborough’s new brand and website is now an authentic representation of who they are, and where they are going.

Through our research and engagement, we were able to deliver Roxborough a brand that is meaningful and serves its community.  

 

 

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