Do you have an opinion on what Richmond Highway should look like in the future? Now you have your chance to make it count.
One of the largest projects that will transform Richmond Highway in the next decade is the construction of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system along the corridor. Last year, Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) began to hold public meetings about the project which is still in the early days of design and right of way acquisition.
On Wednesday night at a virtual meeting, FCDOT announced that Pulsar was the advertising and marketing firm selected to create the BRT brand. This is an important step for the project, as it will set the tone for the future of the project for community members and stakeholders and will help the project better secure federal funding.
Pulsar’s Jim Wright presented three different potential brand names and various color schemes that were chosen after a lengthy 15 month development process during which Pulsar held dozens of internal meetings, branding workshops and focus groups.
“Our goal was to create a brand that was not only good for today but was good for the future,” said Wright. “Ultimately this brand won’t be just a name. It will represent the entire bus rapid transit service from the website, to station signage, to the bus design, to ultimately your experience on that service and everything in between.”
The three brand name options for the bus system are “X”, “Rhex” and “The One.” Wright explained the reasoning behind the name ideas below.
- X: This name is a single Letter, so it’s as quick and easy as possible to write, read, and say. The letter X Makes the service sound fast (since it’s the first sound in the word “express”), plus it gives off a sleek, modern, and futuristic vibe. The letter also connects the new sercie to the old REX one, offering a sense of continuity.
- Rhex: This name is a variation on the name of a current bus service in the area – REX. It is pronounced exactly the same as before, and it still stands for “Richmond Highway Express,” so it speaks to the service’s location and speed. The only difference is that the new names now includes the “H” (for “Highway”) in the acronym.
- The One: This name is short and simple, able to be shown visually as a single number, if desired. It references the place this service runs, up and down Route 1, so it’s easy to understand for everyone in the community. And it’s a flexible naming structure – if future BRTS are built on other roads, they can use number names related to those routes, too.
Wright then presented logos and bus designs associated with each name in varying bold but muted tones of blue, orange or red accented with silver.
Scroll through the slides using the arrows to see all branding options. Additional images are available in the survey linked below.
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The public is invited to provide feedback on the various branding options by completing a survey here. The public is also encouraged to provide feedback on station designs that were presented at a prior meeting here. Both surveys will remain open until Feb. 19.
