Rebranding Through a Naming-Rights Transformation
The approach balanced strategic restraint with expressive clarity—ensuring the new brand felt optimistic and contemporary without losing civic trust.
Overview
The Ames Center is one of Burnsville’s key cultural landmarks. When the City secured a naming-rights agreement to stabilize the financially challenged venue, the partnership created an opportunity for a full rebrand—one that introduced a new name while signaling a fresh chapter for the community.
I led the creative transformation, developing the identity, environmental graphics, and digital foundation, and establishing the visual systems that brought the new Ames Center brand into public view.
EldrBrandr's Role
Creative Director • Brand Identity Lead • Environmental Design Director
Led the creative expression of the new Ames Center identity across physical, digital, and organizational touchpoints, in close partnership with City leadership and venue staff.
The Challenge
The Burnsville Performing Arts Center was facing financial headwinds, and the new naming-rights partnership offered a chance to stabilize operations and refresh public perception. With the new name came a creative challenge: reintroduce a beloved but struggling venue with a brand strong enough to signal renewal and forward momentum.
The center needed a modern identity that honored community trust, updated signage and environmental design, cohesive branding across all communications and staff materials, a refreshed website, and a flexible system capable of supporting events, rentals, performances, and civic use.
This was an opportunity to create a brand worthy of a fresh start — bold enough to move the venue forward while staying true to its roots. The brand needed to restore confidence, signal renewal, and unify a diverse range of audiences under a single, credible civic identity.
The Approach
Understanding the Cultural & Civic Landscape
Worked closely with City of Burnsville leadership and Ames Center staff to understand how the naming-rights agreement would reshape public perception. The work balanced community expectations, civic responsibility, and the emotional tone the brand needed to project—optimism, creativity, and renewed confidence—while honoring the legacy of a beloved cultural institution.
Building the New Identity System
Created a modern, timeless identity that signaled transformation while remaining warm and welcoming for a community-focused arts venue. The system unified logo, color, typography, and graphic language across signage, print, and digital—balancing artistic expression with municipal clarity in an accessible, adaptable brand.
Environmental Graphics & Signage
Triggered by the naming-rights agreement, I led a facility-wide signage and environmental rebrand spanning exterior identification, interior wayfinding, and on-site navigation.
The system unified wayfinding and brand presence, making the transition to the new name seamless.
The Result
A confident reintroduction of the Ames Center that reinforced civic pride, community trust, and forward momentum.
A confident reintroduction of the Ames Center that reinforced civic pride, community trust, and forward momentum.
Staff Systems, Collateral & Uniforms
To ensure the brand lived consistently inside and out, I redesigned:
• Staff uniforms
• Letterhead and business systems
• Event and promotional templates
• Administrative documents
These were crafted to be practical for staff while maintaining brand integrity.
Digital Presence — Initial Website Direction
I art-directed the first iteration of the new Ames Center website, defining:
• Visual look and feel
• Navigation approach
• Layout structure
• Brand consistency across pages
• Tone for performance, rental, and community audiences
The goal was a modern, accessible digital gateway that reflected the Center’s new identity.
The Result
The rebrand repositioned the Ames Center with clarity and authority, establishing a unified identity that supports performances, events, rentals, and public use while reinforcing civic trust. Rolled out across environmental signage, digital platforms, uniforms, and print, the system created a cohesive guest experience and a flexible foundation for programming, partnerships, and marketing. More than a visual refresh, the work ensured the naming-rights transformation carried meaning, credibility, and cultural weight—aligning the Center’s renewed identity with its long-term financial stability and its role as a leading regional arts destination.
