NYC Runs is the premier running resource site in New York. As part of their expansion they decided to create their own marathon, but one that would be soley based in, and aimed at, Brooklyn.

The more well-known New York City marathon was actually begun with a race in Central Park, and so the hope is to grow the Brooklyn Marathon to the same scale over the coming years. This journey has begun with the creation of a distinctive identity and personality for the marathon. Brooklyn has long had an identity and style that is quite different to Manhattan, and is in many ways the younger and cooler sibling to it. It’s roots still are in its industry and in its urban communities, and so we wanted to reflect that within the logo.

The core concept is built around distinctive typography based on the traditional hand-painted signage on the walls and warehouse of Brooklyn from the early 20th century. This however is offset through the use of a contemporary typeface, Proxima Nova, whose geometry echoes the styles used in the past, but drawn with a humanistic and futuristic viewpoint.

The logotype bursts through the ‘finish line’, two crossed rules plays denoting the paramount goal in all runners minds. A pair of customly illustrated running shoes (by me) helps define the race further, showing at a glance what it’s all about. However, a twist is provided in the combination of each of these elements as they create the infamous motif of shoes hanging from a telephone wire, long associated with the projects and urban areas. There are many urban myths as to their significance, from good to bad, but nonetheless, we felt that it would cause people to look twice and to think about the identity and the marathon in a different way. This is definitely not a ‘classical’ and traditional marathon!

The color palette is helps reinforce the industrial sensibility, bursting with confidence and vitality with strong black and orange colors. On the whole, the identity, and the marathon were very well received with a full slate of runners (350) for the inaugural race and quite a lot of press coverage (such as in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Metro New York, as well as on many blogs and running sites). We can hopefully look forward to seeing this identity grace an ever-growing marathon for many years to come.