Charlotte center city partners - uptown campaign - 2025/26 - Lead designer - director - WW
A brand platform and campaign to bring Charlotte back Uptown after the pandemic, built on one word: up.
the challenge
After COVID, Uptown Charlotte got a reputation as a bank town that emptied out at 5 p.m. Fewer office workers meant the restaurants and shops that depended on them struggled, and fewer businesses meant fewer reasons to come back. Charlotte Center City Partners needed to break that loop by giving residents a reason to choose Uptown on their own time.
After COVID, Uptown Charlotte got a reputation as a bank town that emptied out at 5 p.m. Fewer office workers meant the restaurants and shops that depended on them struggled, and fewer businesses meant fewer reasons to come back. Charlotte Center City Partners needed to break that loop by giving residents a reason to choose Uptown on their own time.
The idea
Uptown sits on a hill, so going Uptown means going up. I built the identity from the letter U: concentric arches that read as a U pointing upward and, flipped, as the crest of the hill the city sits on. The repeating lines nod to Charlotte SHOUT!, the Uptown festival brand I also designed for Center City Partners, tying the two brands together. A caret over the U in the wordmark finishes the thought: up.
Uptown sits on a hill, so going Uptown means going up. I built the identity from the letter U: concentric arches that read as a U pointing upward and, flipped, as the crest of the hill the city sits on. The repeating lines nod to Charlotte SHOUT!, the Uptown festival brand I also designed for Center City Partners, tying the two brands together. A caret over the U in the wordmark finishes the thought: up.
The voice
Every headline plays on the same word: "Don't just go out. Go up." · "A little altitude. A lotta attitude." · "Things are looking up." · "S'up." · "All dressed up with somewhere to glow." It's a platform that keeps producing new lines.
Every headline plays on the same word: "Don't just go out. Go up." · "A little altitude. A lotta attitude." · "Things are looking up." · "S'up." · "All dressed up with somewhere to glow." It's a platform that keeps producing new lines.
the system
A bright palette of pinks, oranges, chartreuse, blues and greens, with arch and circle crops framing real Uptown places instead of stock city life: Monarch Market, the Charlotte FC supporters' march, the Firebird sculpture, the bright alley. One toolkit flexes from pole banners and billboards to transit shelters, digital screens, print, merch and paid social.
A bright palette of pinks, oranges, chartreuse, blues and greens, with arch and circle crops framing real Uptown places instead of stock city life: Monarch Market, the Charlotte FC supporters' march, the Firebird sculpture, the bright alley. One toolkit flexes from pole banners and billboards to transit shelters, digital screens, print, merch and paid social.
The Film
I directed and art directed the 30-second anthem, which premiered at Center City Partners' Vision Awards in April 2025 and launched a four-month paid social campaign. It shows lesser-known Uptown landmarks from unexpected angles.
I directed and art directed the 30-second anthem, which premiered at Center City Partners' Vision Awards in April 2025 and launched a four-month paid social campaign. It shows lesser-known Uptown landmarks from unexpected angles.
