29th Street Mall | Vermilion Design + Digital

A Vibrant Lifestyle Center

for Twenty Ninth Street

For years developers had sought unsuccessfully to redevelop Boulder’s declining Crossroads Mall. It was only when the Westcor division of Macerich in the early 2000s put forth plans for an open-air “lifestyle center” that combined retail, office, entertainment, and dining offerings, that progress was made. Westcor relied on Vermilion’s depth of Boulder knowledge to guide the naming and branding of the new district, and Twenty Ninth Street was the result. Initial projects included site signage, construction kickoff events, newsletters, websites, radio and print ad campaigns, and interactive science kiosks. The success of the campaign led to a rebranding effort of parent Macerich, including a new logo and a detailed brand book “The Journey Begins.”

The New Neighborhood

The advent of the Twenty Ninth Street shopping district was welcome news to Boulder, which had suffered through a long decline of the Crossroads Mall. Site signage and numerous public events, one of which featured a pair of demolition gloves, prepared for the opening. At launch, print, radio, and bus ads touted the exceptional variety of shops and restaurants, with the tagline “Explore the new neighborhood.”

The Wonder of Science

One of the features of Twenty Ninth Street was a series of seven exhibits, representing many of the national laboratories in Boulder, including NOAA, NIST, and NCAR. Vermilion produced elaborate interactive screen-based kiosks, aimed at children of all ages, that demonstrated the particular work for each of the labs.

Welcome to Twenty Ninth Street

The initial web presence of Twenty Ninth Street thanked Boulder residents for their support during the long development process and focused on the inviting collection of restaurants, shops, and entertainment offerings throughout the open air environment.

The Journey Begins

Based on the success of the branding of Twenty Ninth Street, Macerich asked Vermilion to create a cohesive new identity for the parent company. The result was a striking new mark, and an extensive brand handbook distributed to the 4,000 employees that touted a journey for both employees and guests, not an end in itself, but an ongoing discovery. Vermilion worked closely with Macerich to extend the new brand to their tradeshow presence.

Looking for more work? Browse our portfolio:

See All Case Studies