Streetcar Brandscapes

A BRAND IS NOT A LOGO.

A BRAND IS A PERSON’S CONNECTION TO AND FEELING ABOUT A PRODUCT, SERVICE OR COMPANY.

A

BRAND TELLS THE TRUTH. IT DELIVERS WHAT IT PROMISES. IT RESONATES WITH PEOPLE.

OPTION 1

street car

Clear cut. Easy to ride. Yet hard to forget. MKE Streetcar is simply a convenient, reliable service that gets you from point A to point B. But paired with fun, friendly graphics and bright colors, it becomes so much more. It’s a connection between you and your neighbors. It helps move Milwaukee. It’s a welcome wagon for visitors new to the city. It’s an excuse to go out and have a good time. The streetcar everyone’s been talking about is here, and it’s here to stay. Don’t miss out.

car

Considerations:

• Not necessarily uniquely Milwaukee

• Could face criticism that name lacks creativity

street car street

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CUBANO

Interstate Selphia

DEEP LAKE

JADE

CITRUS MANGO

RUBY RED

POOL BLUE

OPTION 2

MKE WIS

• It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s friendly • Tied to brewing history and Milwaukee pride

• Supports social connections – people, places and participation the hop urban streetcar

MKE WIS

the hop

urban streetcar

Hop on. Hop off. It’s that simple. With the Hop, Milwaukee is easier to navigate, neighborhoods are more connected and every destination is just a quick Hop away. Abate the trips not taken. With an easy, friendly streetcar, public transit is inviting, approachable and communityoriented. It encourages residents and visitors to be social and join in on all that the city has to offer, including the resurgence of craft breweries. Because not only is the Hop a part of our rich beer brewing history, it’s also a key ingredient in the city’s future.

Considerations:

• Wicked Hop (local restaurant)

• Hop rural transit system in Texas / Hill Country Transit District

• hopstreetcar.com – Protland’s streetcar smartcard website

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CUBANO

Blanch Caps Arvo Spelling Night

IPA SKY

CINDER GARDEN MAPLE

PINE LAKE

Hop On!

OPTION 3

Supports Milwaukee pride, branding the city as the water capital

Synonymous with modern, contemporary

Makes a connection to the electric-powered transit technology

The Current moves Milwaukee. It is a smooth, consistent transit option that advocates forward motion for riders and for our city as a whole. Milwaukee was built on water – our lake and rivers represent our history and our strong future as “the freshwater capital of the world.” The Current reminds residents and visitors that this is not your grandpa’s trolley; it’s a modern, forwardthinking, electric-powered mobile, capable of powering our city’s progress.

Additionally, this name provides opportunity to integrate Milwaukee’s various transit options around a water theme: Bublr bikes, Current streetcar, Rapids BRT, perhaps Rivr Bus.

Considerations:

• “89.3 The Current” Public radio station in Minneapolis

•“CurrentFM Positive Hit Radio” Virginia Beach Christian radio station

• Current Bus System/rural bus system in Vermont and New Hampshire

• San Antonio Current alternative media company (weekly print and online)

• riverwestcurrents.org – online community newsletter

WAVE CREST ROYAL AIR ELECTRIC DEEP

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BertholdAkzidenz

book caps

Mrs. Eaves Italic whitney

OPTION 4

The 414 is more than a streetcar. It embodies the City of Milwaukee. For locals, it’s familiar and fun. It’s convenient transportation and a vehicle for showcasing their hometown pride. For visitors, it’s an easy invitation to jump right in, don’t just tour the city – experience it. For businesses, it’s exciting opportunities to further weave themselves into the fabric of Milwaukee culture. This city has a lot to offer. The 414 is your code to navigating it. It’s the epicenter of your itinerary and your connection to community. Get on board.

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OPTION 5

• Personalizes a clear, descriptive title into a compelling nickname

• Evokes a sense of energy and momentum

• Follows its own orbit, catching your attention when passing by

FIRE WATER WIND

The C.O.M.E.T. turns heads. Even though we’ve seen a historic version of this transportation in the past, today’s streetcar is more spectacular than ever. It’s full of energy – moving forward, connecting passengers, and making Milwaukee the nucleus of the action. Distinguished by their “tails,” the momentum of comets is visible. Milwaukee’s C.O.M.E.T. will be no different. Contributing to a new, unmistakable energy that shapes the atmosphere along and near its route.

Note: The name easily changes to “County of Milwaukee” should the streetcar and bus system ever become integrated.

Considerations:

• Name of rail car made by Bombardier/Alstom/Pullman

• Comet Café Milwaukee

• Comets are rarely seen: opens streetcar to criticism about frequency?

• Western tradition of seeing comets as harbingers of doom

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Trade Gothic Condensed Outage

Century Gothic

EARTH DAY

NIGHT

KIOSK SIGNAGE

MILWAUKEE STREETCAR

OPTION 6

• Emphasizes connections, i.e. “Links” (both place-to-place and human-to-human)

• Assures a quick, smooth and easy ride

• Multiple meanings leave it up for interpretation by diverse riders

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The fundamental purpose of the streetcar is to connect Milwaukee – making links between people and among businesses and neighborhoods. In golf, links courses are characterized by their proximity to a coast. The heart of the streetcar’s carefully charted course takes riders along the coast of Lake Michigan through Wisconsin’s largest city. By utilizing these phonetic interpretations paired with the “lynx” spelling, we get even more meaning. Lynx is a wildcat, a prominent mythological creature and a constellation in the northern sky. The word “Lynx” is derived from the IndoEuropean root “light, brightness,” just as the streetcar sheds light on development and investment opportunities and destinations along and near the route.

Considerations:

• Lynx is an Orlando-area bus system/Central Florida Regional Transit

• Lynx is the Charlotte-area light rail system

• Lynx is the Minneapolis WNBA team

• Lynx is an online text browser

• Milwaukee Lynx – local girls basketball league

CEMENT

Century Gothic regular Century Gothic bold

CERULEAN

SKY TABBY VIOLET LIME BLUEGRASS

it’s fun to pounce around town the purrfect way to get around mke

l y nx

it’s fun to pounce around town the purrfect way to get around mke

l y nx l y nx

l y nx

KIOSK SIGNAGE

LAKEFRONT

milwaukee streetcar

ALT LOGOS

vybe

h p hop h p hop

ALT NAMES

MIKE

MILWAUKEE INTR A URBAN KINETIC ENGINE

MILWAUKEE INTRA-URBAN

MIKE KINETIC ENGINE

MILWAUKEE INTRA-URBAN

MIKE KINETIC ENGINE

MIKE

MIKE