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Hello Othello

Goals:
Visually and conceptually define at risk Seattle neighborhood to help encourage healthy investment that would allow long-time multicultural residents resist displacement in rapidly shifting economic environment.

Create a community identity that speaks to, unites, and celebrates culturally and economically diverse local residents, many of whom are recent immigrants or former refugees, who speak over 80 languages at home.
Strategy:
Work with City of Seattle, local community, business organizations, law enforcement, and economic development NGOs, and dozens of community stakeholder groups to uncover the essential character of the community and find a commonality among tremendously diverse populations.

Research economic, business, community development and placemaking goals, trends, and projects in the areas to inform aspirational aspect of community identity, demands on the community, and develop a coherent look and feel that is harmonious with other efforts in the area.

Interview dozens of local business owners and residents. Schedule time for listening and observing sessions in local parks, cafes, and community meetings.

Sought shared values, auspicious colors and forms, commonalities.
Concept:
We wanted to celebrate the diversity of local cultured while uniting them under the universal, welcoming greeting of “hello.” Individual languages coupled with Othello under the Hello Othello master logo was both a way for local cultures to feel seen and represented, as well as allowing the cultures to learn about each other. Strong inspiration came from a local business owner who told us, “I try and learn how to say ‘hello’ in the language of each of my customers so that they know that they are welcome here.”

Hello Othello! Captured the excitement, optimism and empowerment of being “American!” Graphic style took inspiration from the iconic Coca Cola brand, recognizable internationally, which also emits an air of optimism, and Asian forms that celebrate circles. Color red was chosen both for its association with the Coca Cola icon as well as being a revered color in dozens of the dominant local cultures.
Deliverables:
  • Recommended Messaging
  • Creative Brief
  • Identity Development
  • Presentation and Review with four separate community stakeholder groups
  • 3 Revisions on Final Identity
  • Final Identity Files
  • Style Guide of identity standards, correct usage, color palette, and fonts
  • Website
  • Banners in 73 different languages
    • Results:
    Immediate community camaraderie including “guerrilla” community ownership of the identity resulting in the logo being painted on a former large format for sale sign on the most prominent parcel in the community (with the property owner’s consent).

    Multiple community events chose “Hello Othello” as a theme over the course of the next several years.

    A spike in both public and private investment in the community significantly due to creating a “there there” through effort to define and celebrate the distinctive community.

    Expansion of banner program to add banners in dozens of additional languages and extend banner program over additional blocks to help define the physical community boundaries.

    Private developers reached out to program leaders and creative team to incorporate Hello Othello color palette into new mixed-use projects as a symbol of the intention to be an intentional part of the community.
    "Through their numerous brand campaigns in Southeast Seattle, Maia & Damian were able to communicate 'place' and 'community' in creative and masterful ways. Their designs were the perfect visual expression of each neighborhood they worked with because they took the time and care to really get to know the neighborhood - its history, the people, and its heartbeat."
    – Jenny Frankl, City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods
    "By embracing the simple act of saying “O! Hello Othello!” we celebrate the Othello community’s character of incredible diversity, vitality, and forward-looking optimism. “Hello” exudes the warmth of the people of many cultures who live and work here, as a universal greeting, a sign of welcome, and an invitation to make connections. And it is at the core of the community’s identity."
    – Home Sight WA, project funder
    "This dynamic, creative duo always delights me with how clever, fresh, and spot on their work is. They have a gift for surfacing what makes something special that others take for granted. They are very strategic, resourceful, and efficient in their approach."
    – Julie Pham, former chair of Martin Luther King Jr Business Association

    Project Date

    2014 - 2017

    Project Type

    Community Identity

    Client

    On Board Othello + Homesight

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