Visit MARFA
brand update
When Visit MARFA, the tourism department for the biggest little town in West Texas, approached us about updating and unifying their brand, we did a happy dance--we have been visiting West Texas for years now and MARFA holds a special place in our hearts. Visit MARFA has never had a cohesive brand identity but with steadily increasing numbers of visitors, they are at risk of losing their identity if they don’t claim it fast.
Inconsistencies in the logo made it very difficult to identify official Visit MARFA information. This was compounded by several different approaches to usage and style. We wanted to offer options that were instantly recognizable as Visit MARFA and inspired by the physical experience of being in the town.
Our main goal was to get out of the way and let MARFA tell its story. We sourced the color palette from a collection of photographs taken in and around town and drew our inspiration from one of the most spectacular aspects of West Texas: the captivating skies. The logo’s shape is reminiscent of boxcars on the trains that have been traveling through town since it sprang up, hints at the works of Donald Judd at the Chinati Foundation, and teases the big screen movies shot in West Texas.
Some of the photos which inspired the color spray background for Visit MARFA’s logo. The background evokes the rising and setting of the sun along the horizon while the frame implies human construction.
The visual style that we crafted places the experience of MARFA center stage. The primary logo is set against stark backgrounds to draw attention to official messages. When the message is the content, the secondary logo is meant to be a part of what is seen, simply denoting the curation by Visit MARFA.
MARFA is a complicated place with a nuanced history that includes Western expansion, forced removal of indigenous peoples, and present day immigration issues. We spoke to residents about what they care about and what MARFA means to them. Out of these conversations, six key qualities emerged:
ART • CULTURE • HISTORY • MYSTERY • LAND • SKY
Visit MARFA’s voice is equanimous. The town, the desert, even the amenities aren’t for everyone. But if you do come, Visit MARFA wants to point you in the direction of the overlooked, the underappreciated, and the truly majestic. Visit MARFA wants to guide you to experience the qualities that have made so many fall so deeply for this big little town in the middle of West Texas.
Abby Boyd, Director of Tourism City of MARFA