ReSTL
Branding, Motion, Digital, Copywriting
01. Background
Over the last three years, St. Louis has become my adopted home. It’s not my hometown, but it’s the first city that I’ve become intimately familiar with. But it’s no secret that St. Louis is hurting, and people who live here are reminded of that every day. My goal with this project is to show how design can be used for more than just print ads or social media posts. Instead, this project tackles larger themes of equity and inclusion and how designers can play a small part in uplifting their communities.
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02. Overview
ReSTL is a concept nonprofit organization that provides a framework for how to address three of St. Louis’ most pressing issues: unequal divisions between city and county, a downtown that is unsustainable and dying, and an economy that is falling behind.
When you think of St. Louis, what comes to mind? Rust? Poverty? Crime? It’s time to rethink that. It’s time to redefine St. Louis and to reimagine the future of the Gateway to the West. It’s time to ReSTL.
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03. Softwares
Figma, After Effects, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator
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04. Credits
Photography: Sarah Crites
Logos
Seeing that ReSTL is concerned with several large issues, I decided to break the concept up into three smaller subsidiaries all under the umbrella of one organization; ReSTL is the parent organization with ReConnect, ReAdvance and ReVitalize all within it. As such, I created a simple, flexible system that ties the four logos together while also providing a template for future taglines and copywriting.
i. ReConnect
ReConnect, the first committee within ReSTL, focuses on merging the city and county by meeting with local lawmakers.
St. Louis City and County have been split for nearly 150 years, leading to unequal resource distribution and a deepening political divide between the two. ReConnect proposes merging the two with a brochure that explains what the organization is, a timeline for the project and a call-to-action for donations.
To view the full brochure, please click here.
ii. ReVitalize
ReVitalize, the second committee within ReSTL, raises awareness around the city for tangible, actionable ways to make the city more sustainable.
Downtown is plagued with abandoned buildings, outdated architecture and an untrustworthy metro system. ReVitalize uses these same shortcomings to advertise ways in which our downtown could be more environmentally friendly and future facing.
ReVitalize’s advertisements emphasize inclusive language to invite St. Louis residents in. What if vertical gardens were woven into St. Louis’ famous red brick architecture to improve air quality? How could public transportation be made safer so more locals would use it? By asking questions and using “we” statements, ReVitalize draws in St. Louisians to identify ways to improve their city and allows them to be part of the solution.
iii. ReAdvance
ReAdvance, the third committee within ReSTL, appeals to businesses, corporations and investors outside of St. Louis to bring more business to the region.
To encourage prospects, ReAdvance uses a monthly mailing list to update companies on St. Louis in several key categories: economic gains, job market openings and stories about local companies already thriving in the area.
