Visit Fairfax Rebrand

Brand Identity, Visual System, Campaign Collateral

Visit Fairfax is the official destination marketing organization for Fairfax County, Virginia, one of the most visited and economically important regions in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Their mission is to attract travelers, meetings, conventions, and group tourism to the region by showcasing everything Fairfax County has to offer.

To support this mission, Visit Fairfax needed a refreshed brand identity that could better reflect the energy, diversity, and experiences that define the county today.

The result was a modernized brand system designed to feel welcoming, flexible, and built for storytelling across tourism marketing, advertising, print collateral, and digital experiences.

Designer: Matt Hodin

CD: Alex Belgrave

Copywriters: Mike Stango

Agency: WHITE64

Made throughout 2025

BACK

THE CHALLENGE

Visit Fairfax already had recognizable brand elements, most notably the “fxva” mark housed within a square. However, the execution of the identity system felt dated and inconsistent.

The square itself was not fully leveraged as a design asset. It existed primarily as an outlined container rather than an active part of the visual language. Supporting elements, like the tag-shaped graphic used in various applications, began to feel overly literal and limited in flexibility.

Across materials, the brand lacked a cohesive system. Typography, layouts, and imagery varied widely, making it difficult to maintain a consistent and modern presence across tourism marketing, advertising, and collateral.

The challenge was to evolve the identity without losing recognition—keeping the core equity of the brand intact while removing outdated elements and building a system that could scale across modern marketing needs.

Old

THE APPROACH

The new brand reimagines the most recognizable element of the identity: the square.

Rather than treating it as a passive container, the square becomes a bold, active design element—serving as both a visual anchor and a storytelling device. This shift allowed the brand to move away from the previous tag motif and into something more flexible, modern, and ownable.

The square evolves into a “window”—a frame that highlights the people, places, and experiences that define Fairfax County. It creates a consistent visual language while allowing for dynamic, content-driven storytelling across every touchpoint.

At the same time, the logo system was refined for better hierarchy, clarity, and versatility, ensuring it performs across everything from large-scale signage to digital applications.

LOGO EVOLUTION

The refreshed identity maintains the recognizable “fxva” mark, but modernizes how it’s used.

The outlined square is transformed into a bold, filled icon, giving the brand more presence and flexibility. Logo lockups were simplified and refined, removing unnecessary elements and improving overall balance and readability.

The result is a system that feels more confident, contemporary, and scalable—while still clearly tied to the original brand.

Old

New

Primary Logo Suite

A FLEXIBLE VISUAL SYSTEM

Beyond the logo, the rebrand introduces a cohesive system designed to work across a wide range of applications.

COLOR

The palette is anchored by a bold, signature orange, supported by a range of secondary colors inspired by the region’s landscapes, culture, and energy. This expanded palette allows for more expressive storytelling while maintaining strong brand recognition.

TYPOGRAPHY

A modern geometric sans-serif typeface brings clarity and consistency to the system. The typography improves hierarchy across headlines, body copy, and calls to action, creating a more polished and cohesive reading experience across all materials.

THE WINDOW

At the center of the identity is the window device, derived from the square icon.

This simple form becomes a powerful storytelling tool—framing moments across Fairfax County, from historic sites and museums to outdoor adventures and cultural experiences.

It introduces structure to layouts while keeping the system flexible and dynamic. The result is a visual language that feels consistent, but never repetitive. The window creates a consistent entry point into the brand, giving each piece a recognizable structure while allowing the content inside it to change. It also introduces a sense of movement and discovery—guiding the viewer’s eye and reinforcing the idea that there’s always more to explore within Fairfax County.

It’s a simple system with a lot of range. The same shape can frame, highlight, or interact with content—making the brand feel both structured and dynamic at the same time.

THE BRAND IN ACTION

The identity was rolled out across a wide range of tourism and marketing materials, including:

Visitor guides and brochures
Tourism and economic impact collateral
Maps and informational graphics
Group travel and event marketing
Trade show and promotional materials

Across each application, the system brings consistency while allowing the content to lead—showcasing the diversity of experiences Fairfax County offers.

THE RESULT

The rebrand delivers a modern, flexible identity that builds on what people already recognize, while positioning Visit Fairfax for the future.

By removing dated elements like the outlined square and tag motif, and replacing them with a stronger, more intentional system, the brand now feels more cohesive, scalable, and confident.

More importantly, it gives the organization a clear framework for storytelling. The window device, expanded color palette, and refined typography allow Visit Fairfax to highlight a wide range of experiences—from tourism and leisure to meetings and economic impact—without losing visual consistency.

The system is designed to work across everything from small-format print pieces to large-scale marketing campaigns, making it easier for internal teams and partners to create materials that feel unified and on-brand.

It also better reflects the character of Fairfax County itself: dynamic, diverse, and full of discovery. The identity moves beyond simply promoting destinations and instead creates a more immersive, engaging way to experience the region visually.

The result is a brand that not only looks more modern, but functions more effectively—supporting Visit Fairfax in telling richer stories, reaching broader audiences, and growing its impact over time.