Not Your Run of the Mill
Brand design for Mill Town
The Standard Coosa Mill was once an icon of Chattanooga’s manufacturing might. Neglected at the heart of the Ridgedale neighborhood—a shell of the building has stood for decades, empty and in disrepair— a stark contrast to Chattanooga’s celebrated city center just two miles North East.
Benwood, Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, and Collier Construction have formed a partnership that will soon revitalize this abandoned 20-acre parcel. Through a sustainable redevelopment model, Milltown will deliver a unique Mixed-Use and Multi-family community—boasting contemporary office space, ground-floor retail and dining, coffee, single family stand-alone homes and townhouses, community center, public plaza, green space, and more.
With a long history of partnering with Collier Construction, Matt Greenwell led the project to help name and brand the new development. The history of the place and the buildings helped provide inspiration both names — Mill Town for the development, Coosa Mill for the redesign of the factory — as well as for the design. The diamond shape of the now defunct Standard Coosa Thatcher Mill provided the foundation of the Mill Town mark. Bright bold colors and typography were selected to stand out in the environment.
Along with all the new homes being built in the Mill Town development is the anchor structure of the old factory, Coosa Mill. The refurbished water tower provided the inspiration for the abstracted enclosure of the Coosa Mill logo, which mirrors the geometry of the Mill Town logo.
While very much still a work in progress, the Mill Town identity is slowly beginning to take shape. Signage, wayfinding, promotion and web design are helping to build this new and exciting development in the heart of the city.
Learn more about Mill Town here.
Creative Direction: Paul Rustand; Design Direction: Matt Greenwell; Design: Matt Greenwell, Mark Slawson, Emily Ricks, Liz Tapp, Noah Marlowe.
