NoTe District - North Temple
New Light Rail Revives Community and Inspires Brand
THE GOAL
The North Temple corridor had assets, diversity and momentum.
What it needed was a single identity the community could rally around. Partnering with NeighborWorks Salt Lake, we set out to create one that reflected the full range of what this district had become.
This is a UNIQUE DISTRICT within the city that ties neighborhoods together. A place where the community has embraced the brand with street banners, murals and sculpture installations.
THE challenge
The North Temple corridor in Salt Lake City was once a major thoroughfare connecting downtown to key community destinations including the fairgrounds and airport. Like many U.S. cities, a highway construction project decades ago gutted what had been a vibrant main street, leaving behind a busy multi-lane road lined mostly with national retail chains.
But the surrounding neighborhoods told a different story. Quality affordable housing, a new community center, the beloved Red Iguana restaurant and the most ethnically diverse area in the city. The corridor was full of life. What it was missing was a brand that captured the transformation underway.
The solutions
What began as a branding project for the River District North Temple commercial corridor evolved into something broader, encompassing the surrounding residential neighborhoods and the community as a whole.
- Conducted research, interviews and stakeholder engagement to identify the assets and opportunities that would define the new brand.
- Pivoted the brand focus from the Jordan River, the cornerstone of the original River District concept, to the newly completed light rail line as the community’s most prominent and accessible asset.
- Designed the NoTe District brand identity, inspired by the light rail station signage, with the acronym representing NOrth TEmple.
- Developed a comprehensive marketing strategy covering both business and residential outreach.
the impact
The NoTe District brand took root quickly and the community has made it their own ever since.
- For the first time the commercial corridor and surrounding neighborhoods rallied around a single brand, with residents and businesses embracing it alike.
- Gave the NeighborWorks Salt Lake marketing team a clear foundation to build from, shaped by community collaboration.
- Residents and businesses continue to bring the brand to life through murals, sculpture installations and street banners that have become part of the neighborhood’s identity.
