DRG

In 2006 we bought our first home, located in downtown Minneapolis. One of the first people I met was Joe Grunnet - who had just founded Downtown Resource Group. Joe is genuine, kind, and a workhorse. Over the past 15 years he’s become the unofficial mayor of the North Loop, doubling down on Minneapolis and investing to make it an exceptional place to live. He freely gives his time, energy and resources to those who see the upside of the city.

In 2019 Tyssul and I teamed up to revamp the DRG brand and help launch them into the 2020’s. Using a Function to Expressive Brand Theory framework, we created the core toolset for DRG, with plenty of room to expand and grow in the future. We couldn’t be more proud of the work. Thanks to Magdalena Koebele for playing a key role as well.

The first priority was to move Downtown Resource Group to a simpler, bolder identity. We achieved that with the permanent name-change to DRG. By creating a functional set of brand colors and marks, the identity better conveyed the values of DRG: Trustworthy, strong and exciting. Tyssul and I created expressive colors to accent the core color offering and allow for brand expansion in the future.

Along with the core brand, we created stationary, web templates, merch concepts and more. We also developed art and direction for the interior and exterior of the DRG downtown HQ.