DDI 2025 Merchant Handbook
Since our Downtown Durham Inc (DDI) rebrand project wrapped up in 2024, we’ve helped DDI refresh the look of their most widely distributed materials. The 2024 Quarterly Report template refresh and 2025 State of Downtown Durham report were big hits, and we were happy they tagged us in to update yet another piece: The Merchant Handbook.
The Merchant Handbook is a handy resource for businesses located in Downtown Durham. It provides a map of major landmarks, resources for promotion and marketing, lists of major events, information about DDI services, and more. The handbook is a key piece in DDI’s efforts to support downtown businesses—and it needed a refresh to make it even more effective.
Content
We started by reviewing versions of the handbook from previous years for context. While DDI planned to restructure the information in the new handbook, we immediately noted a need for clearer content hierarchy and consistency. We pulled the manuscript into a Google Doc shared with DDI to share new structural ideas and clear them with DDI’s team before the design phase.
If you work on content with us, it’ll likely be in a Google Doc due to its collaborative nature, automatic edit tracking and version history—and more. You can read more about this in our article, but one of the things we love most is that it creates a smooth workflow for moving content into design and layout.
Design
DDI wanted to reduce the overall size from 8.5x11” to something more in the vein of a booklet. We landed on 8.5x5.5” since it would fit neatly into a 6x9” catalog envelope. Then we went with a horizontal orientation to better accommodate content like the map.
From there, we designed section opener templates using a sidebar style to make the topic shifts clearer. The sidebars include a section title and intro, giving readers a quick overview of the content ahead.
Throughout the handbook, we used DDI’s new secondary color palette to add vibrancy and visually group related content. We bolded action items within those sections and set them next to a colorful line to make them easier to spot for folks quickly skimming through. DDI’s bold, colorful photography was the perfect supplement.
Once we’d completed most of the interior layout, we were ready to move on to our cover art. Rather than focusing solely on the landscape of downtown as in past versions, we created a grid to present multiple merchant-focused images. This approach better represents the breadth of merchants downtown, and adds personal connection through shots of downtowners enjoying merchant offerings. The downtown landscape still made an appearance, though—it made a great background texture on the front and back covers.
Wrapping Up
We were pleased with how well the new brand identity served this piece, from content to design—and so was DDI. Most importantly, merchants will be able to find the information they need more easily than ever before. That’s a big win for everyone!
Whether you’re looking for help on content, design, or both, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today to get started.
