A Fun Train Journey To CenterCity DC
Washington DC just hit the style spotlight with Design Army’s new CityCenter DC campaign – redefining luxury and repositioning the nation’s capital as a creative/fashion-forward city. Building on the notion that luxury today is not defined by logos – but how it makes you feel – the award-winning graphic design firm conceived the campaign “Celebrating YOU,” as a weird, crazy fun train journey to CityCenter DC taking the fast track to an authentic you.
The witty spot for the city’s biggest shopping and dining district celebrates self-expression with eclectic characters of every age and style sense. Backdropped by DC’s majestic landmarks, the campaign explodes with eye-popping color and the unexpected – from 1940s jazz music with a twist of Hip Hop to over-the top forks, show horses, and more. Even the custom typography has personality all its own.
Comments Pum Lefebure, chief creative officer and co-founder, Design Army: “Rebranding an area in downtown DC is not an easy task! And DC is not known as a creative city. I always get asked why I live in DC, ‘Isn’t that conservative & boring?’ I love DC because it’s not affected by trends. It’s a rich culture (international, multiple languages, etc) so it was super important to reflect this and reposition DC as the creative city it is. To bring this to life, we conceived tons of visual puns to keep the audience engaged with over-the-top details like the mature lady carrying a giant fork, the show horse carrying gifts, the double bike — even graphic design props (like the books on the train). I love these — design is the detail! Watch the film over and over, and you’ll notice all the thoughtful visuals that went into its creation.”
And why is orange featured in the palette? Explains Lefebure: “DC is not a visually colorful city. Nor is known for its fashion and design sense. It’s more well-known as a conservative ‘suit town.’ But the capital of the United States is bursting with a chic, international style — from sexy power suits to the younger generation’s eclectic Thrift-store trend. Using bright pops of colors, we wanted to celebrate and show that this city is not afraid of self-expression. Plus, since orange is core to CityCenterDC’s branding, we wanted to creatively incorporate these hues throughout the film like the train conductor’s uniform, the crazy long carpet, and signage leading to CityCenterDC.”
