By Steven Froias
For #NBCreative
NEW BEDFORD, MA – The mood in the room was festive on Tuesday, March 19 when the City of New Bedford Office of Marketing and Tourism unveiled “Explore New Bedford.” It was fitting that it was an “In Real Life” event, as the new logo and marketing campaign to promote New Bedford was partially designed to banish any lingering hangover from the Covid-19 pandemic and signify that the city was charting a new course forward.
There was an air of anticipation as guests in the packed lobby of the Harbor Hotel on Union Street awaited the official unveiling, and a buoyant feeling as Mayor Jon Mitchell and then Ashley Payne, Marketing Director for the City, did just that to great enthusiasm.
Indeed, Payne noted in her remarks that the goal of the project was to produce something “fresh and bold,” and the new logo certainly achieves that and more. It’s a refreshing design by New Bedford’s mediumstudio that relies solely on typography and composition and places the emphasis on the “New” in “Explore New Bedford.” It’s lively, fun, and contemporary. Perfect for the occasion and the larger moment.
As celebratory as the evening was, there was still a lot of work happening behind the scenes. Because along with a fresh look and brand name, “Explore New Bedford” arrives with a spanking new website designed to appeal to residents and visitors alike: ExploreNewBedford.org launched on Friday, March 22.
Like the logo, it’s fresh, bold, and designed to place the emphasis on the “new.” Familiar faces and spaces are presented through vivid photography and placed alongside typography that mimics the logo and isn’t afraid to let the eye discover its own way through – thanks to the generous use of white space (an often-neglected feature of design).
A City press release states that ExploreNewBedford.org “is a digital compass for people looking to explore New Bedford, providing easy navigation, detailed information, trip planners, and a visually appealing interface. It was designed by Patrick Gleavey of PSG Media with user experience as the No. 1 priority.”
Gleavey succeeded. Whether you’re logging on for an introduction or reintroduction to what New Bedford has to offer, it’s fun to navigate and easy to meet the challenge to find for yourself what’s #seeworthynb.
Categories include the expected – Shop & Dine; Events; and Visitor Info – and the unexpected – Inspiration; History & Culture; and…a Blog!
That last has a great entry about introducing the Explore New Bedford concept, which you can read in full when you explore the site for yourself. But here’s a taste: Explore New Bedford is an invitation, a challenge, and a call to action all rolled into one. It inspires visitors and locals alike to branch out, to wander off the beaten path, and to discover the hidden (and not-so-hidden) treasures that make New Bedford so special.”
Of course, thanks to its generous curation of material, there’s not much that will remain off the beaten path for long when you Explore New Bedford. The website is comprehensive. Though thanks to its stellar design it’s never overwhelming.
Ashley Payne writes in an email that the work creating the new branding, marketing campaign, and website stretched over an entire year. “We began the actual design phase back in June of 2023,” she notes, “but the research, preparation, and vendor sourcing began in March of 2023.”
The long effort and diligence to details has paid off. Explore New Bedford was a hit when it was introduced at the Harbor Hotel on Tuesday, March 19, and will serve New Bedford and the city’s residents and visitors well for quite some time to come.
So, as they say on the site, what are you waiting for? Go explore New Bedford! Start here: ExploreNewBedford.org.
Photo description: The City of New Bedford’s Office of Tourism and Marketing (L-R) Ashley Payne, Amber Vaughan, and Amy Desrosiers at the launch of Explore New Bedford at the Harbor Hotel on Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
Photo credit: Maggie Howland