THE CITY OF OPA-LOCKA
BRAND IDENTITY DESIGN CASE STUDY (SPEC)
Taking a century old Miami suburb featuring a stunning display of Moorish Revival architecture and giving it a visual identity worthy of the character it exudes.
Famed aviator Glenn Curtiss led the charge to found Opa-locka back in 1929. From the start, its iconic architecture in the Moorish Revival style was implemented in the fabric of the city. Local businesses, homes, road names (e.g., Sesame Street, Ali Baba Avenue) all had a decidedly Neo-Moorish flair.
The crown jewel was Opa-locka’s administration building, now proudly standing as the Historic City Hall. Dramatic archways, intricate tile work, soaring domes tipped with minarets, and geometric adornments on roofs made Opa-locka a city like none other in the United States, let alone South Florida. To this day, Opa-locka has one of the largest collections of Moorish Revival architecture in the Western Hemisphere.
about opa-locka
brand assessment
We would start off any project in the Mapping Phase - getting a lay of the land. We want to know how the brand currently exists with its current brand identity systems by speaking with residents, business owners, elected officials, and visitors.
This is a spec project, so we didn’t actually speak with stakeholders of the city. Thus, we took our own experiences and the perception gained from others to craft Opa-locka’s current brand assessment.
From this feedback, we can begin to think about how to create a brand identity that reflects the aspirations of the city.
Moving to the Aggregation Phase, a moodboard is introduced as a great way to connect the theoretical concepts of the city’s brand with visual inspiration to find a middle ground between the two.
THE PROBLEM
Opa-locka has long had a seal as an outward representation of the city. This seal was recently re-imagined, showcasing the newly restored Historic City Hall building on full display within a circular design with 28 golden “petals” symbolic of the 28 residents that voted to incorporate the city.
While the illustration within the seal is well crafted, it is also quite intricate. Intricate designs usually lose their details and become muddled in smaller applications (embroidery, letterheads, stationery, etc.) A seal is often reserved for official municipal documents (town charters, City Council meeting minutes, etc.), but for other applications (city departments, billboards, website) a separate logo is used to promote the city.
THE NEEDS
A mark that:
is separate from the city seal
works at small and large scale
captures unique city elements/symbols
is memorable and easy to identify
features a reworked wordmark
is complete with a visual identity system buildout
The sketching process allows loose ideas to become firmer concepts. Here in the Design Phase, we finally get to craft some vector images based on the sketches to finally get some tangible ideas in front of the client.
