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How do you capture the essence of an entire neighbourhood? This was the challenge faced by London and New York-based branding agency DNCO when rethinking the visual identity for Brooklyn’s Dumbo district. “The challenge was to reassert Dumbo’s character – not as a backdrop but as a bold, layered and forward-thinking neighbourhood,” says Luis Mendoza, DNCO’s managing director for North America. “For us, it starts with deeply understanding the place. Dumbo, home to our New York studio, is full of contradictions: industrial and imaginative, historic and future-facing, polished and rough around the edges. You don’t brand that with a single logo or slogan. You build a system that can hold all of that tension and express it dynamically.”
Keeping the original logo for continuity, DNCO created a graphic-tape motif, inspired by the humble cardboard box, which was invented in the area. The tape visual directs the eye, adds movement and makes for a satisfying piece of motion design as the logo is pulled away. It’s a crafty nod to local history. A chunky sans-serif typeface sits on bold, bright colours and the result looks simple yet refined. “We never wanted the identity to feel sterile or over-worked,” adds Mendoza. The new design is in use across a range of communications, from civic planning and social media to street signage and cultural programming. Playful and versatile, the rebrand successfully represents Dumbo as, in Mendoza’s own words, “a different side to New York”.