TAMPA BAY WATER CASE STUDY
Energizing Public Utilities: Tampa Bay Water's Bold Evolution
Challenge
Tampa Bay Water, the region’s wholesale drinking water utility, needed a brand refresh that would energize their mission of providing clean, safe water while meeting strict accessibility requirements. The project demanded a delicate balance: creating a vibrant, modern identity while ensuring ADA compliance across all materials – from digital platforms to print collateral.
Strategic Approach
We took a bold creative direction, proposing an unexpectedly vibrant palette that captured both natural elements and Tampa’s dynamic community spirit. This required careful technical planning:
• Development of a comprehensive color matrix ensuring all text/background combinations met WCAG contrast requirements
• Creation of accessibility-first typography systems
• Design of flexible templates that maintained compliance across all use cases
Creative Solution
The final design system centered on an energetic color palette that broke from typical utility company conventions while still maintaining professionalism. Key elements included:
• A bright, optimistic color scheme reflecting water, sky, and landscape
• Systematic color combinations pre-verified for accessibility compliance
• Flexible template system for presentations and communications
• Comprehensive style guide ensuring consistent implementation
Impact
The client embraced our bold creative direction, particularly appreciating how the vibrant design system:
• Differentiated them from traditional utility branding
• Maintained full accessibility compliance through careful color and typography choices
• Created a cohesive visual language across all touchpoints
• Provided easy-to-implement templates for ongoing communications
