Portland Staycation
An invitation to locals
An invitation to locals to come visit a revitalized downtown with a weekend full of events and surprises.
Overview
Reimagine Portland came together with the Portland Bureau of Transportation to create Portland's first Staycation campaign. A coincidental coalescence of multiple events on one weekend lent itself to a three day celebration of what downtown Portland has to offer. The group asked me to start with a brand so we could shop the idea around, and from there it snowballed into what it is today — Downtown Portland, Portland Alliance, Sunday Parkways, Travel Portland, Travel Oregon, Alaska Airlines, and Prosper Portland all jumped in with financial and structural backing.
As for direction, I aimed to channel the city's quirky personality by combining a fun, mid-century design with a vintage postcard aesthetic — pieces that felt less like ads and more like a natural part of Portland, written in welcoming headlines and cheeky, Portland-specific one-liners. Yes, even backyard chicken jokes made the cut.
The Brand
A brand built to shop the idea around first, then flexible enough to hold a whole city's worth of collaborators as the campaign grew — a primary mark, a circle badge, and a square stamp for social, plus a reversed lockup for dark placements.
Out of Home
Collectibles
Getting the word out to locals was the key ingredient to success. Thousands of mailable postcards were printed and handed out, and hundreds of coasters were made to be given to participating bars and restaurants. The "book a flight" line is a good example of some of the borrowed-travel language I used throughout the campaign.
Postcard
Coasters
Locals Pass
Less like an ad.
More like a natural part of Portland.
Social Engagement
We also used established social accounts and local influencers to spread the good word. I provided premade social tiles along with design assets to make people's lives easier, and maintain some brand consistency.
Billboards were posted in strategic locations across the city, and a jumbotron ad ran during a Portland Timbers game.
This pattern is another fun bit used sparingly throughout the campaign :)
On the Web
A dedicated site at pdxstaycay.com carried the campaign online — hotel packages, an events calendar, and a business sign-up flow for the participating shops and restaurants downtown.
Visit the live siteHome
Events
Hotel Packages
RSVP
Merch
Take-home pieces for locals and out-of-town guests alike — a tote for the farmers market run, a sticker sheet for the water bottle, and a sweater for when the staycation runs into fall.
Tote Bag
Stickers
Apparel
Next Project
