EDCUtah

Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah) is a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening and growing the economy of Utah, and in doing so bringing bigger and better jobs to Utahns across the state. I was lucky enough to work on a number of projects for EDCUtah starting with a brand refresh. EDCUtah needed a refresh because their visual identity had fit in a little too well with the pack.

8th Grade English had done great work for EDCUtah previously that gave us a logo with substantial brand equity and a typographic system that was fresh and clear but underutilized within the organization.  Given the significance of their mission a serious business first tone seemed to be appropriate but after a second look we realized we needed a small dose of humor, levity, and why Utah is an amazing place to live. Every economic developer can speak to the costs and benefits of moving or starting a business. EDCUtah’s edge came from how fun they are and how wonderful a place Utah is to live.

Brigham Young University contacted EDCUtah to prepare a custom profile collecting employment and education data from the state relative to the university. We handled the design end of the profile, laying out all the typography and tables, and creating custom graphs and infographics for the most impactful data. This was a chance to brag about how great of an impact that the state has on the success of both businesses and the educational institutions that call Utah home.

One of EDCUtah’s strongest capabilities is their ability to collect, clean, and correlate data. They do this for the benefit of institutions and businesses that call Utah home as well as prospective future residents. One of the largest industries in Utah is the outdoor products industry. We were able to show just how huge outdoor products are in Utah (with 5 national parks and the best snow on earth it just makes sense). While showing why Utah is such a special place.

Being the capital city of Utah, Salt Lake City and EDCUtah work hand in hand on many endeavors. In 2023 we had the chance to work with both groups to create a profile to show why Salt Lake City in particular is such a wonderful place to live and run a business. We made maps, graphs, and infographics to make this information approachable and easy to understand. We had the opportunity to work with business leaders and community leaders to show off all the other wonderful aspects of living and working in the city.

Tombstones are essentially post cards that EDCUtah would send out to site selectors and other decision makers to show what companies had moved to Utah or expanded their investment in the state. These cards were a great way to synthesize complex concepts and business decisions into approachable and engaging invitations for decision makers.

The print Tombstones were so popular and successful among site selectors that EDCUtah wanted to expand the program with a larger audience and more economic wins for the state. To handle this we pivoted from printed materials to an emailed newsletter. This also let us have a little more fun with the materials we produced. We redesigned the tombstones as animated loops, providing the same information but with a little more fun.