The Chamber ALX

The Alexandria Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit member organization advocating for area businesses and nonprofits. With Amazon’s HQ2 coming to neighboring Arlington, Virginia, and Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus coming to Alexandria, the Chamber wanted to rebrand itself as an innovative, inclusive force that champions member interests and advocates for a vibrant local economy.

Process

The Chamber has a membership community that includes one-of-a-kind small businesses and leading global organizations. It wanted its new brand to balance of Alexandria’s rich history and legacy that differentiates the city from others in the region, and also embrace newcomers and a forward-thinking culture that attracts talent and entrepreneurs. The Chamber wanted to reflect its members’ voices, businesses, and accomplishments to show how they make an impact in their community and make Alexandria the ideal place to live, work, and do business.

Execution

Because the Chamber has so many different kinds of member businesses, and their members experience so many different challenges and types of success, Mekanic developed a brand system that represents intersections within the business community, placing the Chamber at the center. The new typographic logo is aligned to show two elements in flux, as if they were moving past each other, influencing each other, and ultimately moving toward their intended destination. The Chamber represents this place of meeting, a place to find connections, mentors, and support. Mekanic applied classic serif typefaces, in a bold, fresh color, with new portrait and environmental photography that shows members in their element bringing their vision to life. Mekanic also developed refreshed core brand messaging, a new tagline, a sub-brand system, and a new web experience for improved ease of use and community engagement. It also recommended a fresh new shorthand for the organization’s name: The Chamber ALX.