Design District South End

The Design District is being heralded as Charlotte's new hotspot. Awarded a 2019 Charlotte Center City Vision Award, Asana Partners transformed the historic center of the South End neighborhood into a collection of trending brands, unique restaurant vendors, and instagrammable moments, all while honoring the local, grassroots vibe. With all the new happenings, the district required a name update, logo refresh, and wayfinding system to unite the project while blending seamlessly into the neighborhood's defined culture.

Brand Identity, Signage & Wayfinding

This project was completed while working as part of a collaborative design team at 505Design.

Logo Before & After

The objective of the Design District brand was to establish it as a premier and walkable district of South End, focused on: innovation, creativity, and local community. Conceptual logo exploration embraced flexibility, dynamism, playfulness, and creativity. The selected logo concept incorporates changeable design patterns into the wordmark, reflecting the district's colorful and unique tenants and community activities, as well as the adaptability of the district itself. In addition, a set of secondary marks was created to compliment the primary logo, while giving the ability to identify the district without relentless repetition. A prominent symbol in the logo family is the water tower, representative of the district's iconic feature; seen from miles around.

Conceptual Logo Exploration

Final Logo

Secondary Logo Family

Pattern Family

Additionally, the brand adapted into the environment where wayfinding was needed. The signage played with industrial details, overlapping materials, and incorporation into the buildings.

Client: Asana Partners

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