huntsville transit

The City of Huntsville was in need of a full brand refresh for its public transportation department, including renaming two of its services, as well as the department itself.

It feels funny containing the scope of the project into that one sentence. Start to finish, this was a 18 month long process that included multiple meetings with key members from the city, taking multiple rides on the public transit to get an idea of the experience, a full naming brainstorming process, full rebrand for the bus, accessible transit, and the transportation department, as well as developing the style guide and supporting materials including the bus stop signs, services brochures, and vehicle wraps.

The initial part of a branding project can be the most exciting. There are endless possibilities that pour out while researching and sketching. Honing down the ideas into three distinct directions can feel difficult, but rewarding once you find how to group them. Why three directions? It forces us to approach the project from different perspectives and not settle for the first idea we have.

During the initial presentation three directions were presented. The selected direction was my personal favorite and the one that best reflects what makes Huntsville stand out on a national and global stage: this is Rocket City. The branding for the department and two services branch out from that concept and allude to what helped put Huntsville on the map.

The two services were renamed to echo the space theme; the Shuttle bus was renamed to Orbit and the paratransit service HandiRide was renamed to Access; and the name for the department was shortened to Huntsville Transit.

We did discuss renaming the department to Rocket City Transit; however, in a city that loves to call any new local business Rocket City [Product], we wanted to make sure that it was clear that the Public Transit department was a city initiative, and not being provided by an outside or private company. We also wanted to avoid being too on the nose with the rocket/space theme, and instead wove the concept in with a light brush vs a heavy hand.

/the concept

For all branches of the Huntsville Transit department, the goal was to select names and logos that were easy to remember, and clearly tied back into the goal of the service. 

Huntsville is a city with its eyes set on the future. The main logo for the Huntsville Transit department ties into this idea of unlimited potential. The blue bar in the mark alludes to the idea of endless possibilities and represents the roads that connect the city and its citizens. The colored dots for the i’s are reminiscent of wheels and tires, thus tying it directly into the idea of transit. The main logo, and accompanying service logos were intentionally written in a lowercase type, giving the brand a friendly, welcoming feeling. 

When selecting the new name for the public buses, it was important to find a concept that tied directly into what helped put Huntsville on the map: space exploration. The name Orbit conveys a feeling of transit and movement, while also instantly bringing to mind the concept of space. Orbits are repeating paths that can be clearly mapped and expected, much like the bus routes themselves. The logo for the buses was created so that the “o” could work independently of the rest of the word and still be quickly identifiable. The deep blue hues of the mark and the use of subtle gradients further reinforce the idea of deep space discovery.  

At its heart, the paratransit branch of Huntsville Transit is centered around the effort to help its citizens access as much of the city as possible. For this reason, “Access” was found to be the best name to describe the service. In order to tie it into the concept of space and transit, a shooting star was hidden into the “a”. The star is directly tied to the main logo for the City of Huntsville, and reflects the city’s wish to provide access to all of its citizens.

The paratransit element of this project was particularly meaningful to me. My father was paraplegic for most of his adult life due to an accident at the age of 24. He was the most resilient and incredible person I have ever had the honor of meeting, and he was in all sense of the word, my hero. As he reached what we later learned would be the last few years of his life, he was excited to find that he could use the DC paratransit system to help him go to and from work since he could no longer drive himself. He was thrilled that the paratransit service allowed him to retain the freedom and independence that driving his own adapted car had given him, and he would joke that he felt like he was a VIP for being able to use it. He passed away in 2011, but I know that he would have been so happy to know that I now live in a city that cares enough about its citizens to not only have a paratransit system, but to also be attentive and intentional about the branding and naming of the service. I am so happy that I had the opportunity to work on this, and I see it as an homage to my dad and all of the incredible citizens of Huntsville who are just as resilient as my father. 

A comprehensive 55-page style guide was created to detail the design element for the various brands and design elements, including everything from the bus wraps to the bus stop signs.

The bus stop signs were designed to be easy to read, and adhere to the ADA standards for public informational signage. It was important to ensure that all important information was legible and easily found on the signs.

The monthly pass, Star Card was also created and designed to be its own entity within the Huntsville Transit brand.

/behind the scenes

I was able to visit while they were wrapping the first Orbit bus. It is such a surreal experience to see something that you’ve spent months working on coming to life.

The new branding for Huntsville Transit made its public debut on Thursday, July 16, 2020 at a press conference held by the City of Huntsville at the Dr. Shower’s Recreation Center. It was a completely surreal and humbling moment to be able to stand alongside the Mayor as the new designs were revealed. I truly hope that this helps spur excitement and pride in the city’s transit system, and adds to the ever evolving landscape of Huntsville. It was an absolute honor to work on this project, and I am excited and nervous to finally see it come to life!

I want to thank the City of Huntsville and the amazing folks at the Huntsville Transit department for their trust and collaboration on this project. It’s truly a dream come true to be able to contribute to the community and to help reflect the amazing efforts they are doing every day to make this city a better place. Thank you!

On February 26, 2021, during the local AAF-NA American Advertising Awards, the work I did for the City of Huntsville Transit rebrand was awarded not only a Gold, but also Best of Show out of over 40 winning entries!!

I am incredibly thrilled and honored that a panel of judges from outside of our District awarded it such high accolades. For me, it shows that the design can be beloved by not only Huntsville’s residents, but also by out-of-towners visiting or seeing our city's public transportation online.