Northwest Arkansas – Placemaking

Northwest Arkansas

DESTINATION BRANDING

frenchCALIFORNIA set out to rebrand Northwest Arkansas as a destination. Northwest Arkansas was interested in redesigning their brand to highlight their new use of the word ‘UPSTATE’ to define the region. Home to an enormous number of outdoor activities and art entertainment such as museums, ballets, and live shows, the region wanted to create a marketing campaign that brought in a younger demographic with a wide variety of interests.

HIKING, CYCLING, ARTS, & MORE

Along with a strong visual identity for a region that offers new ways of working and living, we designed a marketing campaign and hashtag that focused on publicly available activities. Our campaign used images from bodies of water, arts, small shops, and hiking and cycling trails. By highlighting these activities, we were able to show the diversity of options through the region.

We created the Share Your Life campaign as a way to encourage residents and visitors to tag photos that showcase the options available in Northwest Arkansas. This created content that was authentic and real. Visitors to the social media platforms saw a wide variety of images from the eye of those experiencing each activity.

What We Did

Naming
Brand ID
Marketing Strategy
Signage

HIGHLIGHTING THE CHANGE

The eye-catching UP used in the posters draws attention to the renaming campaign. As Northwest Arkansas moved to materials focusing on their new UPSTATE branding, we wanted to highlight the change in a creative and artistic way. We placed images behind the word to show the diversity and activities available in the region.

UPSTATE OF MIND

‘Upstate of Mind’ encourages a focus on the people who make up the area. It cultivates the concept that residents are thinkers who appreciate activities that encourage culture, art, and experiences. It delivers an idea about the growth experienced in the Upstate. This differentiator has the ability to become part of a larger campaign focusing on attracting new businesses, entrepreneurs, developers, and more.

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