Urbane is an economic development organization focused on catalyzing community wealth. While they garnered many successes over the years, Urbane wanted to position themselves as a thought leader in the industry. What’s more, they wanted to harness the power of digital to build trust and prosperity.
Trust was not only the heart of the issue, it was the heart of their company. From our very first conversation, it was easy to see the immense trust the entire Urbane team had in one another. Whatever we built, we were going to build an experience people could rely on, literally and emotionally.
Urbane’s digital transformation began with an immersive research phase. Through a trove of data and interviews collected, one theme emerged: Funk. Our teams then collaborated to balance funk with professionalism, creating an authenticity unique only to them. From there, the digital experience was formed into a flexible design system and website scaffold that could anticipate growth and change. We embraced funk with loud colors, bold typefaces, and rich textures, capturing Urbane’s grit ethic, and prosperous outlook for all.
The word “development” was in their original name, but the word elicited an unexpected negative connotation.
By stripping the name down to the first word, Urbane was able to maintain brand equity while pivoting toward positivity.
Our brand and website work ultimately helped position Urbane as a thought leader, by elevating their impactful work and enhancing their storytelling.
