Alberta Alive celebrates and strengthens Portland’s historically Black N/NE neighborhoods by providing affordable housing, supportive services, and a shared community for underserved individuals and families.
The Brief
Create a brand identity for Alberta Alive, a series of affordable housing complexes in Portland’s Alberta district. Alberta Alive champions the revival of Black N-NE Portland where residents feel at home and connected with their neighbors. Local opportunities provide a framework for personal and community investment. A strong community retains, attracts, and grows generations of Black legacy. Neighborhoods far and wide emulate Alberta Alive’s success.
Skills
Brand Identity
Logo design
Art Direction
Timeline
9 Months
The Team
Kierrah Byrd: Art Direction
HUB Collective: Strategy
Community Development Partners
Self Enhancement, Inc.
The Problem
Black Portlanders have continually been forcibly moved from place to place in Portland. In the early 1950s, the Alberta neighborhood became home to a large percentage of Portland's Black population and working-class families who were displaced by the Vanport flood and the construction of the Memorial Coliseum and Emanuel Hospital. Over time, Black Portlanders have been priced out of this historically Black neighborhood, increasing class and other systemic disparities.
The Solution
Create a culturally responsive brand that champions the heritage of Black Oregonians and the revival and reclamation of the Alberta area — its historic namesake as a Black N/NE neighborhood. Alberta Alive is culturally specific, affordable housing at the historical heart of N/NE Portland’s Black community, serving families, displaced and long-term residents, and veterans.
The primary logo references the 1960s -70s lithographic poster-style. This wordmark is a literal and figurative home. The A’s slant inwards to create a figurative home, while the eye is drawn upward and an implied triangle creates a literal roof. The letterforms are custom-made and imperfect to celebrate Black resiliency throughout American history.
Symbols
Each shape symbolizes a primary feeling that residents will experience in Alberta Alive housing. With some shapes being made by it’s very own community members.
Home Pattern
Alberta Alive champions the revival of Black
N-NE Portland where:
• Residents feel at home and connected with their neighbors.
• Local opportunities provide a framework for personal and community investment.
• Strong community retains, attracts, and grows generations of Black legacy.
• Neighborhoods far and wide emulate Alberta Alive’s success.
Brand Attributes
Celebratory
Culturally Responsive
Visionary
Committed
Vivacious
Rooted
Secure
