Rio Las Vegas: Reimagining an Icon
©2018, in-house
I led the redesign of the Rio Hotel & Casino's visual identity, modernizing its brand while retaining key elements of its iconic architecture to re-engage with the local audience.
©2018, in-house
I led the redesign of the Rio Hotel & Casino's visual identity, modernizing its brand while retaining key elements of its iconic architecture to re-engage with the local audience.
A Deeper Look
Challenge
The Rio Hotel & Casino's visual brand had become stale and inconsistently applied, failing to effectively engage its audience. The goal was to modernize the brand, moving away from its previous carnival persona while retaining its appeal to Las Vegas locals. This required creating a versatile, colorful, and bright visual system that reflected the evolving nature of the Rio and its offerings, inspiring a "come as you are" atmosphere and encouraging re-engagement with new amenities.
Solution
The solution centered around Rio's unique architecture, particularly its illuminated exterior. I deconstructed the building's nighttime appearance, focusing on its distinctive curves, lines, and projected colors. These elements were translated into a multi-use set of framing devices and image containers. We retained the familiar colors of the building and incorporated secondary signage-inspired colors to create a flexible and adaptable visual palette. Bold, modern typography, using a contrasting serif webfont, was employed to generate excitement. The serpentine ribbon graphic from the street signage was reimagined as a background element, framing the brand's wild and spontaneous character.
Results
This project successfully modernized Rio's visual identity while maintaining a sense of familiarity. The bold, clean design created a fresh and instantly recognizable brand presence. The new visual system showcased the potential of combining modern design principles with existing brand elements to achieve a significant impact. The project successfully re-engaged the local audience by reflecting the new offerings and amenities in a vibrant and accessible way.
Creative Director
Karen Lo
Collaborators
Designer / Amy Concepción
