Every place has a story. The question is: are you telling it – or letting others tell it for you?

In an era where destinations compete for attention, relevance, and investment, the way a place presents itself to the world can shape not only how it’s seen, but how it’s experienced. At The Place Bureau, destination branding is about more than tourism campaigns or visual identities – it’s the art of distilling a place’s truth and expressing it in a way that brings people together, builds pride, and resonates far beyond its borders.

What is destination branding, and how is it different?

Unlike branding a product or a service, destination branding isn’t about inventing something new. It’s about revealing what’s already there. A strong destination brand doesn’t impose an identity on a place – it uncovers it. It surfaces what’s distinctive, unspoken, and already loved. It connects the dots between lived experience, cultural value, and future potential.

Importantly, it’s not about building a community, the community already exists. It’s about weaving shared stories, anchoring local values, and creating the kind of emotional clarity that allows both locals and visitors to understand what the place stands for. Done well, it sets expectations, inspires investment, and invites the right kind of attention.

Destination branding can help define all sorts of things that happen in the space, from public art strategies, events programming or curation of the right F+B or retail businesses in the space. The brand helps to align the right personality and values for all these elements, giving the place coherence and a clear proposition.

So how do you tell the right story?

Destination branding begins long before a logo. At The Place Bureau, it builds on our work in collaborative visioning and place strategy, we’re able to seamlessly evolve a project from early concepts and aspirations, to a fully formed launch-phase brand. We begin by working closely with local communities to uncover universal truths – the emotional and cultural undercurrents that define a place.

From there, we move through three key phases:

1. Strategy

We define the narrative arc of the place – its promise, values, and personality. Often this is an evolution of a place vision already co-developed with stakeholders. We consider:

• What do people feel here?

• What do they hope for?

• How is the place perceived on the inside, and from the outside?

• What makes this place unlike anywhere else?

• What territory can we inhabit, and what does the competitive landscape look like?

• What is our promise to residents and guests?

2. Brand Identity

We give shape to those ideas through a visual and verbal identity system – colour palettes, typography, language, imagery. Sometimes we commission illustrations or photography to make sure the client has something ownable. The aim is not to decorate, but to communicate: to make the abstract essence of a place tangible and memorable.

3. Communications & Experience Assets

From websites and social media toolkits to signage and wayfinding, we design the tools that help places speak with clarity, confidence, and cohesion, whether they’re talking to tourists, residents, or investors.

Why does destination branding matter?

Because in the absence of a clear story, places get misunderstood or overlooked entirely.

A strong destination brand aligns stakeholders. It turns residents into ambassadors. It helps visitors arrive with the right expectations. It builds civic pride. It can even change the way people behave.

But more than that, a well-told story creates emotional stickiness. It’s the difference between a visit and a memory, between a stopover and a lifelong connection.

On the flip side, there are real risks to getting it wrong, or ignoring it altogether. A poorly crafted narrative can alienate local people or flatten complexity in the name of marketability. It can lead to gentrification, or worse, turn living culture into a consumable product. That’s why bringing communities into the process is essential. Branding shouldn’t overwrite – it should amplify.

Who is it for?

The answer: the right people.

Smart destination branding helps attract tourists who are curious and respectful, not extractive or indifferent. It draws in businesses and investors who value authenticity and cultural context. It inspires people who might one day live, work, or build a life in the place.

It helps everyone, from a weekend visitor to a global investor, understand what the place is, what it values, and how to be a part of it.

Two projects, two very different stories

Snæfellsnes, Iceland: Telling the story from within

In Iceland’s Snæfellsnes peninsula, we helped develop a destination brand rooted in citizen storytelling. Locals were invited to share their histories, traditions, and personal connections to the land. Instead of high-production campaigns, the brand emerged from lived voices – making the region feel not just visited, but inhabited. The result? A sense of welcome that introduced guests to the warmth and resilience of the local community.

Midleton Distillery, Ireland: Linking past, present and future

At the iconic Midleton Distillery, the branding challenge was to bridge heritage with innovation. Through research, cultural narrative, and a modern visual language, we helped reposition the distillery as more than a tourist stop – it became a symbol of Irish storytelling itself. A place where tradition meets forward-thinking craft.

So, when shall we get started?

In a world of noise, clarity is powerful. If you’re not telling your story, someone else will and they might not get it right. Destination branding isn’t just about visibility. It’s about values. It’s about belonging. It’s about defining the emotional space your place holds in the world.

At The Place Bureau, we believe that branding is not the end of the journey, it’s a reflection of all the work that’s come before, and a springboard for everything that comes next.