Union Terminal Warehouse Branding
Jax in the Box
An historic icon in Jacksonville Florida's East Side neighborhood, Union Terminal Warehouse has enjoyed a rich, 110-year life involving many shifting incarnations, businesses and unique tenants. The new chapter UTW is entering, thanks to our friends at Columbia Ventures, is perhaps the most exciting of all; UTW will re-debut as a chic complex housing 228 apartment units, 50,000 square feet of office space, food and beverage, and a maker space. Set to open in summer 2024, it will also be a future stop on the exciting, ongoing Jacksonville Emerald Trail project.
The identity system we created for UTW pays homage to its rich past, with volumes of stories to tell from over a century of Jacksonville life and work. This flexible brand is designed to work within a variety of contexts and angles of approach as we reveal UTW’s future to the world.
The logo’s holding shape is modeled after the warehouse viewed from the front. This shape also serves to “contain” the different stories UTW has held within its walls over its history. The color and background images can change as a way to make this mark flexible and expressive.
“UNION” has been custom lettered to be unapologetically bold, to feel staid and stable, and to fill the width of the rectangle. The lettering style references its founding era without feeling “theme-y.”
The complete identity suite also includes several badges and social media icons for various contexts. The color palette is reflective of the sunny, blue-sky, verdant landscape of Florida.
“Being that this is an adaptive reuse project, the Wier / Stewart team jumped in head first and immersed themselves in the building that has existed for over a century and they have managed to artfully marry all of that context with the dynamic and multifaceted space that we are bringing into the future together.”
Ryan Akin / Development Manager, Partner, Columbia Ventures
“The opportunity to see this iconic site in-person and journey through the physical remnants of its heritage was instrumental in developing a brand that feels authentic and relevant. All we sought to do was create a strong framework for UTW to tell its own stories, past, present and future.”
Rachel Baker / Brand Lead