El Paso
City Branding
A project doesn’t get much more personal than this. Branding the city where I was born and raised was an honor, and I had so much fun falling more in love with a place I still consider home, even though I haven’t lived there in many years. I was excited to share with the world all that El Paso has to offer.
Research and Discovery
I didn’t research El Paso as much as catalog all my favorite places to visit when I’m home. I hope this rebrand encourages people to take a chance on a city they might have underestimated.
One of the main things you see in many El Paso images is the star on the mountains. It was first lit as a Christmas decoration in 1940 to remind people on both sides of the border that America was at peace during the holiday season. Now, it is lit every night, and you can sponsor a lighting of the star in honor of a loved one or a special occasion.
My family and I at a Chihuahuas baseball game
Process Sketches
Many people still think of El Paso as a tiny border town that doesn’t make it onto their To-Visit radar. I wanted to show its fun side so people want to visit it for things it’s not known for, like its art scene and natural beauty. El Paso is a city with layers, rich in culture, and it can be both elevated and casual.
Creative Challenges
Because this city means so much to me, I had a lot of trouble deciding on the best way to portray it. I probably had the most sketches of any project because I wanted to capture all its elements.
Final Logo Design
There were so many elements I wanted to include in this logo: the mountains (which I miss so much), the star on those mountains, and the sun—El Paso’s nickname is the Sun City. I didn’t know how to incorporate them all until I drew out this oval shape which reminded me of a plane window. It made me think of how I see the city now when I go home for visits.
City Brochure
Website, Advertisements, and Touchpoints
Reflections
Rebranding my hometown was a truly special experience. I loved seeing El Paso through the eyes of a potential tourist and discovering how special each site is. When I showed this project to a former professor, she told me she sincerely wanted to visit El Paso, and it meant so much to me to be able to show even just one person that it is not a sleepy little border town.