NYC LDN DEN

The Ballpark

The Ballpark

Our heavily baseball-themed identity breaks down the fourth wall, elevating its audience from spectators to participants.

Client JBG SMITH Sector Retail Share LinkedIn Twitter Email
We helped create

Research
Brand Strategy
Naming
Copywriting
Design
Art Direction
Identity System
Marketing
Image Creation
Signage

A home-run retail building to draw the crowds.

In DC’s Capitol Riverfront District, The Ballpark is a high-powered retail offer with front row seats to the Nationals Park Baseball Stadium. An ambitious heavy hitter, it’s strategically positioned at the foot of the ODA-designed West Half Street residential development. The Ballpark aims to transform a once-sleepy neighborhood into an always-on pregame hot spot via two floors and 65,000 SF of destination retail.

We partnered with JBG SMITH to shape a sophisticated yet provocative brand identity and marketing campaign to communicate the offer to a target tenancy of clothing retailers, restaurants and cafes, while also driving awareness among residents.

Our heavily baseball-themed identity breaks down the fourth wall, elevating its audience from spectators to participants.

Black-and-white photography embodies the strategic idea of “work hard, play hard”, showing young professionals stripping away the suits to embrace a more expressive way of life. Tough-talking copy and text-only banners challenge audiences to step up to the plate. Meanwhile, a ubiquitous home plate icon signals that The Ballpark is both a place to start your play and a point to return to.

The identity has proven a winning strategy for The Ballpark, which has since signed early leases with Atlas Brew Works, Knead Hospitality and Gatsby, Compass Coffee, Union Kitchen Grocery and Cold Stone Creamery.

1/6

Armed with bat and ball, JBG SMITHs bold vision to establish a new retail district in DC was enough for us to match their enthusiasm and lust for the game. Our identity embraces the ballpark while ushering in a new breed of Washingtonian.

Results

2017 American Graphic Design Award (GDUSA) — Branding

The Ballpark
WASHINGTON, DC