Tempe Tourism Office has revealed its new brand identity following 13 years of “Refreshingly Tempe.” It’s a culmination of more than a year of stakeholder and visitor research, industry observations, and creative exercises working with branding agency Attic Salt. 

In preparation for this rebrand, the DMO also partnered with Destination Analysts (now Future Partners) for an evaluation of current perceptions of Tempe and to gain a deep understanding of the types of leisure travelers to prospect and target. The top five personas emerged: beer lovers, event goers, desert doers, foodies, and artsy types. “With this data, we’re able to craft our marketing efforts in such a way that we reach prospective travelers who are a great fit for our destination,” said Cristal Rodriguez, Tempe Tourism Office Director of Marketing. “We’re eager to pair this invaluable research with our new identity in our target travel markets to reach the most-likely travelers to visit Tempe.”

Additionally, Tempe Tourism partners with Miles Partnership, the strategic marketing consultancy focused exclusively on travel and tourism, effective fiscal year 2024-2025. The concept for this forthcoming marketing campaign is underway. 

“Tempe is uniquely positioned at the heart of Arizona, specifically at the confluence of the nation’s fifth largest city and the magic of the Sonoran Desert,” said Michael Martin, Tempe Tourism Office President and CEO. “Outdoor recreation has always been an alluring aspect of our city. On the urban side, our destination has quite literally grown up in recent years. We set out to capture both aspects of who we are, too. In doing so, an unmistakable theme emerged.” 

On the new brandmark: “Our brandmark is a symbol of Tempe, embodying the spirit of connectivity and exploration that our city offers,” Martin said. “It’s an abstract representation of a bridge, signifying our role as the link between travelers and the diverse experiences in Tempe. The design also conveys our commitment to bridging cultures, ideas, and communities, inviting visitors to explore and engage.” 

The brandmark is complemented by an assortment of graphic expressions that further this visual representation, including archways and patterns created by the historic Mill Avenue Bridge’s architecture and also a series of pathway designs that reinforce these commitments and serves as an invitation to explore. 

Read more.