CASE STUDY:
Enjoy Evanston
Transforming fragmented business districts into a unified economic development engine
In 2023, the City of Evanston faced a post-pandemic reality familiar to many mid-sized cities: ten distinct business districts competing for attention instead of collaborating, residents frustrated by scattered information, and small businesses struggling in an Amazon-dominated landscape. The challenge wasn't a lack of assets—Evanston had vibrant districts and passionate business owners. The problem was that all this energy was working in silos.
Through the Enjoy Evanston initiative, All Together helped create something unprecedented: a unified brand and communication system that celebrated individual district identities while building collective strength.
The Challenge
When the Evanston Thrives Retail District Action Plan was adopted on May 8, 2023, research revealed four critical issues holding back the city's economic potential:
Fragmented Communications
While Evanston had tremendous assets—the city's weekly newsletter reached 90,000 subscribers, Downtown Evanston had nearly 12,000 social media followers, and individual districts ran their own campaigns—these efforts were scattered. Instead of amplifying each other, these voices were creating noise.
"I don't know what is happening around the city but wish I did!" one survey respondent wrote.
No One-Stop-Shop
Residents and visitors expressed frustration around the lack of a centralized source for Evanston happenings. The city's website was difficult to navigate, the events page was outdated, and there was no unified way to discover offerings across all ten districts.
Declining Local Pride Despite Success
New corporations were relocating downtown, vacancy levels were normal, and redevelopment was underway. Yet residents focused on losses: "It makes me sad that many of the businesses that I enjoyed in Downtown have closed," one longtime resident shared.
Lack of Unified Identity
The core issue: "Evanston lacks an umbrella marketing & branding strategy for its retail districts: There's no one defending or defining 'The Evanston Experience.'" Visitors saw Evanston as one place, but without understanding the breadth of offerings, they never explored beyond their single destination.
Our Approach: Building Bridges
When All Together was hired to launch Enjoy Evanston in January 2024, we recognized that success would require more than visual identity or digital platforms—it demanded a fundamental shift in how the city's business districts coordinated and amplified each other's work.
Collaborative Process
Rather than imposing a brand, we facilitated stakeholder-driven solutions. This was crucial for districts like West Village, which had developed a strong arts identity and were initially skeptical. Through collaborative workshops, we showed how their artistic character could be celebrated within—rather than diminished by—a larger system.
Flexible Brand Architecture
We developed "Enjoy Evanston" as an umbrella that could encompass diverse districts without erasing individual characters. For districts without established identities, we created simple, location-based sub-brands: Church & Dodge, Ashland Arts, and others that maintained visual cohesion through shared color palettes and typography.
Comprehensive Systems
We approached this as a complete ecosystem spanning digital platforms, physical spaces, and community programming—from social media to gateway signage to placemaking equipment.

The Solution: Enjoy Evanston
The brand launched in February 2024 with a clear promise: "Evanston is one of America's best places to live, but also a place to explore. Our city has ten neighborhoods and commercial districts, each with a distinct personality and flavor. We invite you to step outside of your door, see what each is all about and Enjoy Evanston."
Digital Infrastructure
Website with interactive district maps, business guides, and searchable community calendar
Coordinated social media accounts that cross-promote all districts
Dedicated biweekly newsletter focused specifically on promoting business districts
Physical Presence
District-specific gateway signs incorporating unique color palettes
Mural guidelines working with local artists while maintaining brand cohesion
Integration with Evanston's Placemaking Kits program
Capacity Building We worked with the city to hire a communications/public arts coordinator to sustain this work beyond our contract.
The Outcome: Measurable Community Adoption
Digital Growth
Enjoy Evanston Facebook page grew from 500 to 2,900 followers
Website attracted 2,800 visitors in first month, totaling 14,679 visits in year one
City launched a dedicated business district newsletter that has grown to 6,728 subscribers
Community Engagement
Businesses now proactively post events to the community calendar
Districts regularly tag @EnjoyEvanston to amplify their posts
Gateway signage under construction across multiple districts
District-specific murals commissioned using brand guidelines
The Bigger Picture
Enjoy Evanston proves that local governments can be placemaking partners rather than bureaucratic hurdles. The model demonstrates key principles other communities can replicate:
Start with Relationships: Success came from collaborative process, not just deliverables.
Build Flexible Systems: Respect individual identities while creating collective strength.
Invest in Capacity: Sustainable change requires internal champions with skills and authority.
Measure What Matters: Track whether stakeholders actively use and contribute to shared systems.
As one stakeholder reflected: "This isn't just a new brand. It's a new way of working together."
For cities supporting small business districts in an increasingly digital world, Enjoy Evanston offers a roadmap: the path forward isn't choosing between individual identity and collective action—it's finding creative ways to do both.
