Upper Downtown, Denver
Location
Denver, CO
Completed
2019
Clients
Downtown Denver Partnership
MIG Inc.
Awards
2020 Corporate Content Awards, Silver, Best Content Targeted to the Investor Audience
2020 Corporate Content Awards, Silver, Best Use of a Visual Property
In an effort to revitalize Downtown Denver’s central business district to be more dynamic and friendly to pedestrians, the Downtown Denver Partnership and MIG turned to ArtHouse Design to re-name and brand the district. While the new name appears to be very straightforward at first, it evokes both the area’s relationship within Downtown to the historic LoDo district as well as the neighborhood’s literal height, being home to most of Denver’s skyscrapers. The name also bolsters the neighborhood’s position and narrative as Denver’s hub for business, technology and financial firms, while also communicating effectively with the neighborhood’s many tourists and visitors where they are.
The new Upper Downtown name was then translated into a dynamic and iconic identity that connects the existing district with its bright future as a hub for dining, culture, living and business. The logo mark itself is an ambigram, meaning it can be read the same way both right side up and upside down, a playful nod to the shortened words suggested in the logo, ‘Up, Down.’ The diamond container shape also pays homage to the physical shape of the neighborhood, at the spot where Denver’s two famous street grids come together at a right angle. ArtHouse applied the new brand to an executive summary brochure to help advertise the district to investors, as well as a host of branded merchandise.