The Trimet of Portland’s LIFT Bus Design Program is a unique opportunity to share creativity with the community. For the Hispanic Heritage month design, my goal was to Represent, Celebrate, and Encapsulate the Hispanic American Experience.
The design drew inspiration from the values of the Hispanic Community and the broader immigrant experience. Family, Joy, Warmth, and Hard Work allow the second generation to pursue the wildest dreams of their ancestors. These values can summed up into the phase “Siempre Pa’ Lante, Nunca Pa’ Tras” (Always Moving Forward, Never Moving Backwards)
A simplified illustration style was developed in order to depict people with vastly different characteristics. The joy and warmth of Hispanic American people can be seen through the color palette. The rough loose application of line and shape inspires the viewer to pursue their own creativity
I chose to represent the “Siempre Pa’ Lante” rally cry with blocky geometric typography that aligned with the illustration style.
The illustration and “Siempre Pa’ Lante” wordmark combined with energetic illustrated and typographic patterns formed the visual direction for the LIFT bus wrap.
An activation was produced in order to encourage community involvement into the Trimet “Siempre Pa’ Lante” LIFT Bus project. A limited edition swag pack was created and promoted with an in person pick up at Benchmark PDX, a creative space in Portland focused highlighting POC creatives. The limited edition swag packs were claimed within an hour of the pick up event.
The campaign to promo the bus design and swag kit ran for 7 days on Instagram. The engagement out performed industry standards for accounts <10k followers.
In summary, The Trimet Siempre Pa' Lante LIFT Bus brand awareness campaign highlights the power of culturally resonant visuals and messaging to drive real results. The campaign not only exceeded industry benchmarks, but also demonstrated how digital engagement can translate into community involvement. Its success offers a scalable template for future campaigns—showing how impactful storytelling can foster in-person connections, spark creativity, and inspire more community members to participate and share their voices.