Bookmobile Rebranding Campaign Designs

Roadside directional yard sign displays the rebranded identity logotype treatment

Two PSA ads (top,
middle), and print ad

In May of 2013, our library's Outreach department asked the Public Relations and Marketing department to help them explore ways in which that the library could increase community awareness of its Bookmobile service and in turn increase attendance at the locations where the two Bookmobiles stopped throughout Alachua County in Florida.

The Outreach department originally asked for the rebranding campaign to be delivered in 30 days, but as a single-person design department that produces between 60 to 130 per month for the library district, I had to tell them that wasn't feasible. They wouldn't even have written their survey and received any results back by then anyway. So it was suggested we develop the campaign over the summer months and see if everyone was ready by start of the school year in September. In the end, even though the design component of the campaign was ready for roll-out by September, the official roll-out held off until the first of December.

The outcome of our planning resulted in developing a survey staff could use to receive essential feedback back from patrons; another outcome was for the Creative department to re-envision and develop an entirely new visual identity and set of communication collaterals the Bookmobile could use to promote itself. 

Half page size
schedule handout

For creative development, I first identified a thematic direction I wanted to explore: using a "road sign" style of presentation for the identity of the Bookmobile to strengthen its connection between the service and where one would associate seeing it—out on the road. A colour palette, typographical style, and shapes consistent with roadway signage would be used. To me, the choice seemed completely natural and obvious to pursue. We allowed time during the summer for surveys to return in order to provide feedback on patron's current awareness of the Bookmobile services and what additional ways the service could be tailored to met their needs. Meanwhile, I moved forward to develop a new visual identity and strategy for communications materials.

I developed a logotype for "The Bookmobile" that would become the new brand identity of the service. It would use bold italic white lettering on a green background that would include a directional arrow of the same green background colour. The arrow stem would horizontally bisect through the center of some of the letters, allowing its arrowhead to prominently terminate in the center of the "o" of the "mobile" portion. So in essence, the italic logotype with the bisecting arrow would reinforce the connotation that books were on the move, going mobile.

Half page handout

To help viewers of the logotype better make the connection between it and the library, I next wrote a tagline to be included under the logotype that would need to be consistently worded as an integral part of the identity: "We're driven to bring you the Library!" In this way, "book" would make the connection to "library" while "driven" connected to "mobile." I thought it not only clever, but essential to weave in as much literal and subliminal interconnectivity as possible into the branded logotype. Each component of the logotype would work to strengthen and reinforce the whole by further defining it. To accommodate for different presentations of the identity when necessary, three basic variations of the identity would be utilized: "The Bookmobile" logotype both with and without the tagline, and also a version of the logotype with a heavily outlined profile view photo of the Bookmobile positioned over the logotype lockup.

8.5x11 inch sign style

To further link the Bookmobile service to its mobile environment, online and print advertisements as well as other collaterals such as physical signs posted both inside and out of the Bookmobile would all utilize the appearance of roadway signage. I identified and developed three different themed channels to speak to: 1) target audiences such as students, seniors, families; 2) service attributes that could play off of vehicle signage language such as the deliver, reserved, accelerate; and 3) lifestyle issues such as gasoline and financial savings, time and locality convenience.

Mock-up of a key chain that
was actually manufactured.

Advertising and signage language was written both to provide essential factual information as well as to draw from their theme connections. Clever and playful wording was also infused into the messages in an effort to not only identify essential factual information but also to interject a small dose of personality into it. In the end, a few final signs were selected from each channel, knowing that future signs could potentially tap into any of the themed channels as needed based on what issue or audience they wanted to address. Two different sizes of each sign design were created: full page 8.5x11 versions for posting on walls and half page versions for handing out to the public as leaflets.

Interior sign for librarian desk
pass-through area

A few additional promotional pieces were developed to further assist in the rebranding awareness campaign: roadside yard signs that directed traffic to the Bookmobile stops; a sandwich board signs to be placed outside the vehicles that incorporated the new identity at the top and left open space below for changeable event-specific posters and information; vinyl adhesive labels applied on the Bookmobile truck doors; a key chain sporting the new Bookmobile identity; bumper stickers that could be displayed either on the Bookmobile and / or on private passenger vehicles that wanted to promote awareness of the service. 

Web site banner ad

The only thing that couldn't be altered at this time was the vehicle wrap that would have to wait until its material life span ended and need replacement. But once that time came, a new design would be developed and implemented which would then also be applied to the other associated identity elements.

Creative for bumper sticker
styled bookmarks
included over 30 choices. The
final single one chosen is
the one at bottom.

The complete campaign included creation of the following collaterals (and number printed):

Roadside directional 24x19 inch yard signs (3 versions, 6 each)

PSAs (2 versions, each used)

Print ad (1)

Sandwich board top 23.5x12 inch signs (4)

Half page schedule handbills (100)

Half page promotional handbills (4 versions, 100 each)

8.5 x 11 inch signs (25 created, 4 versions used, 50 each)

Key chain 3x.875 inch pad (250 manufactured by outside vendor)

Interior Bookmobile signs (4 created, 0 used)
Interior Bookmobile shelf collection signs (22 versions, 0 used)

Web ad banners (2 versions)
Vehicle cab door 25.5x8 inch adhesive signs (4)

Bookmarks (30 developed; 100 of 1 printed)
Bookmobile staff business card (1 version, unused)