Hostel Detroit is an affordable alternative place for visitors to stay when they visit Detroit. Their welcoming atmosphere, personalized approach, and sense of community provide guests with opportunities to experience the rich culture and history of Detroit.

In collaboration with Paige Foster, Maya Zimmerman, and Noe Conahan, I helped rebrand Hostel Detroit’s visual identity. We started the process by first meeting with the two guys who ran the hostel, Zach and Evan. They were kind enough to give us a tour of the hostel and explain what they offered, their values, and who their target audience was. After our meeting, we realized that the city of Detroit was crucial to their brand. Hostel Detroit offered a community experience for their guests and provided them with unique experiences of the city through their many connections with local businesses.

Here are a few of the initial iterations of logos and logotypes developed for Hostel Detroit. Maya and I collaborated on these designs while Noe worked on a website redesign, and Paige worked on social media assets. Despite the positive reception of these designs, none of them fully encapsulated the free-spirited and distinctive essence synonymous with Hostel Detroit.

After designing a couple of directions and having a meeting with Zach and Evan, we eventually landed on this logo. The two felt this logo was perfect for representing their free-spirited brand. We took inspiration from graffiti and other public art, something that Zach and Evan were fans of and had a lot of on the inside and outside of their building.