DUMBO

A different side of New York

Place brand

Once a New York enclave of art and industry, Dumbo is now a global hotspot — but mass tourism and narrow press coverage had reduced it to a postcard. Dumbo BID asked for a place brand refresh that challenged those misperceptions.

Our creative district brand celebrates Dumbo’s unconventional spirit and reminds people there’s more to this neighborhood than meets the Instagram filter.

Sector
Place
Client
  • Dumbo Improvement District
Location
New York
Expertise
DUMBO neighborhood place brand billboard reading 'A different side of New York' above the Manhattan skyline

A different side of New York 

Dumbo has always defied convention. Even its name — Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass — was a tongue-in-cheek protest by 1970s artists resisting development. That irreverent spirit became the neighborhood’s shield and soul. 

In leading the neighborhood place brand refresh, we helped the Dumbo BID preserve that rebellious energy while guiding its evolution. The neighborhood is a place of contrast and curiosity — where a quiet moment at Pebble Beach is punctuated by a train overhead, and where local ceramicists craft pieces steps from tech giants. Dumbo is raw, unexpected, and unlike anywhere else in New York. Our place repositioning strategy reflects exactly that: a different side of New York.

DUMBO mural of black line-drawn buildings on a white brick wall, beside a brick building's fire escapes
DUMBO 'A different side of New York' neighborhood place brand wheatpaste posters on a street hoarding

An identity system with a point of view 

For the brand refresh, we retained the original diagonal logo — designed by Jon Hecht — a symbol of the neighborhood’s unconventional spirit.

To show a different side of New York, we looked to Dumbo’s history. The humble cardboard box — first invented here — carries a rich world of ‘fragile’ warnings, packing symbols, and of course, tape. Inspired by this, we created a tape graphic that reflects the neighborhood’s ingenuity and creativity. It sticks, twists and turns, moving through space with energy and revealing new perspectives — much like Dumbo itself. 

Beginning with an abstract illustrated world inspired by Dumbo’s spirit and architecture, the tape evolved into a flexible system for typography and graphic elements.

DUMBO branded kraft packing tape printed with bold type and body copy, sealing a dark cardboard box
DUMBO creative district brand posters laid out on black, including Events, Art and 'A different side of New York'

Grit meets graphic
 

Dumbo’s industrial spirit comes alive in the color palette and typography — steel blue mirrors its iconic bridges, deep red nods to brick factories, and bold, vintage-inspired type embody the neighborhood’s gritty strength and modern edge.

From the team that bridges everything and everyone in Dumbo 

As part of the project, DNCO renamed the Dumbo Business Improvement District to Team Dumbo, highlighting the real people behind the work. ‘Team’ shifts the BID from a faceless institution to hands-on champions — not just maintaining the neighborhood, but driving public art, events, small business support, and everything that makes Dumbo a different side of New York.

Teal DUMBO pole banner reading 'A different side of New York' on a lamppost at Water St and Old Dock St

Photography by Chrissie Winter

“We came to DNCO at an inflection point for the neighborhood and our organization, in need of a real strategy to increase awareness of the creativity, history and character that sets Dumbo apart. It’s as if they joined our team during this project — and it was a dream partnership.”

Alexandria Sica
President of Team Dumbo

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