angela liu
skydeck
CHICAGO, IL
scope
branding
role
product marketing lead
duration
Q4 2020 - Q2 2021
deliverables
visual identity
brand strategy
marketing collateral
signage
website
theskydeck.comoverview
Skydeck Chicago is the highest observatory deck in the Western Hemisphere - with over 10 million visitors each year both local and global, it is one of the most iconic landmarks in the country.
EQ Office completed a multi-million dollar redevelopment of Skydeck and needed a new brand that captured the essence of the new experience.
the challenge
Branding a global landmark has several inherent challenges. There is a diverse range of audiences to appeal to, a legacy to preserve, and an impression to make. Taking a look at our competitive landscape, there are a considerable number of other cultural attractions in Chicago. The brand has to stand out and clearly capture someone's attention in a short amount of time.
From an experience standpoint, we identified some painpoints in the user journey. The long lines, unpredictable weather, and monotony of just visiting for the views have negatively impacted visitor experiences in the past. Alongside the redevelopment, the visual identity needed to entice both first-timers and repeat customers by capturing the new, multi-faceted experience Skydeck has to offer.
the vision
The vision was to introduce Chicago through its icon by tapping into the history of the city and Skydeck to create a reinvigorated experience that is educational, captivating, and sensational.
Our objective for the brand was to create a visual identity that is instantly recognizable, timeless, and equally as iconic as the experience itself.
the brand
Drawing inspiration from the architecture of the building, the logomark subtly highlights the location of Skydeck within Willis Tower while forming the shape of an arrow on the side of the building.
The wordmark itself is custom designed to create the sensation of an upwards pull and great height. A design motif was extracted directly from the logomark itself - adding more dimension to print and digital design while tieing everything together seamlessly.
the experience
Skydeck was entirely redesigned from check-in to the Ledge so that at every point in the user journey, there would be a different engagement. Newly added educational moments, photo opportunities, and immersive vignettes build up the experience before visitors reach their final destination at the top.
Tickets were reimagined and brochures redesigned so that keepsakes for visitors could be created from these brand touchpoints.