Visit Tampa Bay, Hillsborough County’s destination-marketing organization, is the lone Florida company honored this year by HOWdesign.com and Print magazine for the creativity of its branding campaign.
Visit Tampa Bay was among the winners in the “Identity Design from the South” regional category.
Visit Tampa Bay – previously known as Tampa Bay & Co. — worked with Tampa Bay-based Spark in 2013 to develop its new brand identity: a keyhole above crossed keys with the tagline “Treasure Awaits.”
The keyhole captures the architecture of the University of Tampa’s historic Plant Hall, built in the late 1800s by Tampa Bay railroad baron Henry B. Plant as the Tampa Bay Hotel resort. But it also offers the temptation to peek through to see what’s on the other side. The crossed keys represent the keys to the city – an invitation for people to visit.
The colors of the branding – black, blue and gold – come from iconic Tampa Bay sources: the Jose Gasparilla pirate ship, the bay’s waters, and the TECO Historic Streetcar running to Ybor City.
Combined with the catchphrase “Treasure Awaits,” the logo hints at a pirate chest – Tampa Bay’s multitude of attractions, festivals and events the glittering gems within. The design is also a tongue-in-cheek nod to Tampa Bay’s history of pirate-themed events, starting with the annual Gasparilla Pirate Invasion, which now kicks off three months of festivities known as Gasparilla Season.
“We are extremely proud of our brand,” said Santiago Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay. “Old-school branding is about selling attributes. Modern branding – our branding – is about creating intrigue around a destination. That’s what the keys and keyhole are about: what’s in the treasure chest? It’s fun and playful, and people get it everywhere we use it, whether it’s on a business card at a trade show or 50 feet high on a building in downtown Chicago.”
Elliot Bedinghaus, Spark’s vice president for creative, said the branding was designed to help Tampa Bay break out of the muddled middle-of-the-road of destination identities. Bedinghaus grew up in the Tampa Bay area and returned to work here after college.
“We wanted to create something that we felt was representative of the spirit of the area,” Bedinhaus said. “Gasparilla has grown from one day to three months – we felt it was a great thing that would differentiate us. We wanted to stand out from the rest of Florida iconographically.”
Visit Tampa Bay was among 42 companies nationwide cited by the nationally known experts in design and branding.
About Visit Tampa Bay
Visit Tampa Bay encourages adventurous travelers to unlock our destination’s trove of unique treasures. We are a not-for-profit corporation that works with more than 750 partners to tell the world the story of our home – the hip, urban heart of the Gulf Coast of Florida.
For more information:
KEVIN WIATROWSKI
Regional Media Relations
Office: (813) 218-3894
Cell: (813) 395-4043
Twitter: @kwiatrowskiVTB
SOURCE: Visit Tampa Bay
This press release is distributed by PR NewsChannel. Your News. Everywhere.
