BACKGROUND Fountain Square is a public square in downtown Cincinnati, located at Fifth Street and Vine. Its centerpiece is the landmark bronze Tyler Davidson Fountain. The square is a popular hardscape, surrounded by hotels, banks, department stores, and restaurants.
The space was donated to the city of Cincinnati by prominent citizen Henry Probasco and dedicated on its completion in 1871 to his brother-in-law, Tyler Davidson.
In 1998 the fountain underwent extensive restoration. In September 2005 the fountain was temporarily moved to the Cincinnati Art Museum while Fountain Square underwent extensive renovation for a re-opening October 14, 2006.
CHALLENGE Our goal is to activate the square in a very graphic manner that suggests the many activities that are planned for this space as the center of the community and the heart of our region for today and for the future.
While our city and our Fountain Square are both steeped in a rich history, in this logomark we do not want to focus on what has happened on Fountain Square, but on the opportunity that Fountain Square represents to our city, our region and the world. Cincinnati has for too long been deemed as “stuck in the past” and “behind-the-times.”
Much is happening today to change this image and the Fountain Square logo should reflect these forward-thinking changes in our philosophies and our physical community. We were charged with creating an identity that was fresh, but also belonged in the same family as the newly unveiled Cincinnati USA regional branding effort. METAPHOR’S SOLUTION The Fountain Square logomark is very fun and full of motion. The square rotating in a clockwise and counterclockwise motion on the circle that represents the fountain as the center. Along with guidance from the client, the logo mark became a structural framework for many activity icons, not simply focusing on the Fountain as a single point of interest.
The color palette, variations, and white space between the squares connecting the circle (fountain) helps to project an openness and casual atmosphere that is full of energy. The four colors represent the Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall on the Square since it is an outdoor space that is open year round for all to enjoy.
Our goal was to activate the square in a very graphic manner that suggests the many activities that are planned for this space. This same method was employed when developing the Web site and collateral materials.
On the Web site Metaphor focused on the information architecture, interactivity and the ability for 3CDC staff to make updates to the site content.
about pull pull is a quarterly publication designed to provide insights into metaphor's Community Experience Development™ process of consulting. metaphor is a full-service brand consultancy in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio's historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood providing Identity, Interactive, Advertising and Public Relations Strategy for regional and national clients through our Community Experience Development™ brand renewal process.
