Brand Design + Management
Public Sector
Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit
The damage from Superstorm Sandy in 2012 demanded a full rehabilitation of one of the subway tunnels connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn—the one carrying the L train—a project that would impact more than 250,000 daily customers. The MTA had to help them understand what the project was and its benefits, and how to navigate when subway service was altered.
The Strategy
With the two guiding principles of safety and public trust, the strategy focused on making customers active participants in the project and creating a unique and repeatable brand identity for the project. This included renaming the project amidst research that showed misunderstanding and misinformation.
The Tactics
user research
public outreach
government affairs
digital advertising
print advertising
wayfinding
logo design
Using historical customer travel data, travel guidance was customized by station to deliver the most relevant, dynamic information.
If it was related to the L Project, wayfinding signs for different travel options all followed the same brand and color profile.
Localized maps were deployed to educate customers about their travel options and help them navigate, right when and where they needed it.