The Current Brand

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As it stands, Fareground currently presents itself as an addition to the corporate offices it is located under. While this makes logistical sense, there seems to be a disconnect between the language the brand is using to describe itself and the visual components being used to convey that description.

The combination of a muted, almost dull color palette and a sharp, spaced out, sans serif typeface feel corporate, cold, and somewhat uninviting. This is inconsistent with the language that Fareground is using to describe itself as it seems to be identifying as a communal hub for all of Austin to gather. With my intervention and rebranding, my intention was to inject an inviting energy into the brand, making it feel less like a corporate add-on project and more like an inviting gathering space for anyone and everyone that reflects the modern, eclectic, and inclusive nature of Austin.

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The Current Brand

When considering what about the Fareground project worked and how I could use it, my eye immediately went to the architecture. Throughout its entire lifespan, it can be easily argued to many Austin locals, designers and non-designers alike, that the most successful and strongest component of Fareground is the deep-cutting and impactful work of Michael Hsu Office of Architecture. Both the interior and exterior carry along a linear motif, intricately contouring the surrounding environment and conjuring texture through connections.

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It was the concept of connection that I saw within Fareground’s architecture that I decided to build upon for the rebrand. By adapting the same linear motifs present all around the environment, and strengthening the language to evoke a more inviting and communal space that encourages connection, I began rebuilding the brand in my own vision.

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The Rebrand

Because of my choice to play on the architecture that Fareground already possesses, I knew I had to find a way to work in the poles that sit in the middle of One Eleven Plaza. They are situated in a triangular formation and double as both sculptural ornamentation as well as a misting devices on a hot day that spread around the courtyard to cool off visitors. I decided that finding a way to abstract these forms might serve well as a brand mark. Not only would this continue the linear theme that runs throughout, but it also serves to make Fareground and its architecture quite literally iconic.

This abstracted brand mark serves as a means to convey the same motif and concept of connection that is so present in Fareground’s architecture. It is carried out throughout the entire rebrand by way of language that is more inviting and a typeface that shapes a warmer and more fun atmosphere that everyone feels apart of. That was my goal for this entire endeavor, to give the business a brand that does away with the corporate energy and somewhat what awkward, disconnected disposition. Putting in its place instead a brand that encourages connection throughout the community, and invites all Austinites to pull up a chair.

This is the new Fareground.

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