Visit Baltimore Rebrand + Campaign

An unapologetic brand and campaign for the people, by the people

Best Use of Design - City Nation Place Awards 2020

Bellweather led the research, strategy, rebrand, as well as new destination campaign and website for Visit Baltimore. We invited 150+ locals, business owners, and city leaders into the creative process, resulting in a brand that was beloved from the start. Our creative collaborators are also Baltimore natives: writer Kondwani Fidel is lead copywriter and local artist Devin Allen (known for his Time magazine covers) is lead photographer.

The Results

increase in total website users on Baltimore.org since campaign launch

Project Attributions and Credits:

Sector

Travel & Tourism

Disciplines

Branding
Campaign
Research + Strategy

Client Visit Baltimore

Website https://baltimore.org/

Team

Louis Lee, Chief Creative Officer
Emily Lessard, Chief Strategy Officer
Kyle McCloskey, Account Director
Melany Gelabert, Project Manager
Kyle Cevallos, Marketing Research Associate
Qadir El-Amin, Designer
Grace Han, Designer
Kip Helton, Designer
Anamika Singh, Designer
Giancarlo Hernandez, Junior Designer

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Visit Baltimore Rebrand + Campaign

An unapologetic brand and campaign for the people, by the people

Best Use of Design - City Nation Place Awards 2020

Awards

Best Use of Design - City Nation Place Awards 2020

Disciplines

Branding
Campaign
Research + Strategy

Results

41% increase in total website users on Baltimore.org since campaign launch

The brand in two words: unapologetic pride

The brand projects confidence and creativity through bold graphics and custom photography, telling the story of a city on the rise.

“We set out to rebrand in order to showcase our city in a new light… We’re on a mission to help first-time visitors fall in love with our city and for local residents to feel a sense of pride in the place they call home.”

Al Hutchinson

President & CEO of Visit Baltimore

A portrait of the City

The campaign features 35 local artists, business owners, and leaders. Each model’s social handle is included, leading to further discovery and amplification.

Transit takeovers

Large-scale, bold graphics transform transit stations in Boston, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. Larger-than-life portraits and imagery invite visitors to discover Baltimore.

"Beneath the Shell" campaign

We also created a new locals campaign, driven by Kondwani Fidel’s Beneath the Shell poem about the City. We turned the piece into an ad run during the 2020 Super Bowl, billboards seen throughout the city, and a limited-edition letterpress posters made by the historic Globe print shop in Baltimore.

Press and public response

The response has been overwhelmingly positive, including coverage in the Baltimore Sun and AdWeek. Launched during a global pandemic concurrently when acts of police brutality ignited global protests against racism and social injustice, the goal was to tell a holistic story that highlights the City’s unique offerings and heritage, while celebrating the people committed to creating a better Baltimore.

“With Baltimore’s Black population of more than 60%, it’s about time that members of this key demographic get to promote their hometown. The effort is rare in the nation and bucks a tainted perception of the city, say backers and experts. And if it works — there are early signs of promise — the campaign could be a first step in recovering from the pandemic’s hit to local tourism.”

Baltimore Sun