Design in the Desert

Situated in a desert valley nestled among canyons and jagged mountains in California, the Morongo Casino Resort and Spa offered designers and architects no shortage of environmental inspiration for creating a new graphic identity.

The casino and resort owners hired Jerde Partnership (Venice, CA) architects to expand and renovate the existing Morongo property. They called upon Selbert Perkins Design (Playa del Rey, CA) to rebrand the destination with a new logo, as well as design more than 500 signage and wayfinding elements.

Branding a place

Robin Perkins, partner at Selbert Perkins Design, and her project team wanted to create a fresh brand identity with a new logo. The casino owners wanted to ditch their previous Native American-centric, dated logo in favor of a more neutral, modern and timeless visual presentation.

Drawing on the architecture's style, and the desert locale's colors and environment, designers envisioned a strong visual impact appropriate for such media applications as billboards and print advertisements. They also sought to reflect the property's various uses and the excitement of the gaming experience, Perkins said. The logo resembles the dramatic, sweeping porte cochere at the property's entrance.

The Selbert Perkins designers met with Jerde Partnership architects frequently at the beginning of the project to determine the concept for the scope of their work. Perkins said they developed five logo design ideas and created mockups of each logo option on real-world elements, such as hotel key cards. They presented the five ideas to the large tribal council charged with making all decisions that affect their property. Although such a large group can slow down the decisionmaking process, Perkins described the council's methods as very democratic, smooth and efficient.

Once the main Morongo logo was selected, designers also created names and logos for the restaurants, bars and other resort venues.

Signage design

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During the logo-design phase, Perkins said they were mindful of the logos' placement, to be sure each design would be appropriate for 3-D fascia signage. Selbert Perkins designed the signage for each venue (nightclubs, spa, restaurants, etc.) within the resort property, plus the wayfinding and other signage for the Morongo's entire interior and exterior. They met with the tribal council for sign-design approval.

Visibility was key in the signs' design and eventual placement, Perkins said. Guests need to see the venue signs from across the casino, because all the gaming elements focus attention to the middle of the space. All venues are located around those gaming elements.

"We wanted to make sure everyone could have as clean a line of sight as could be, so they can see all their options for restaurants and bars. We made sure the signs were simple, legible and bold. That was part of the overall design of the logos as well," Perkins said.

The primarily painted-metal venue signage was backlit. Designers' material selections fit the building's architectural palette.

Property wayfinding signage had to be well placed so people could easily guide themselves, Perkins said. The round, hanging signs contrast with many of the property's other signs to draw visitors' eyes to them. Wayfinding and other graphic elements were tested in the space using foamboard mockups so the designers could test size and location prior to sending the designs to the sign fabricator, Federal Heath (Euless, TX).

Perkins described the overall year-and-a-half project as smooth and successful.

"It was one of the best-managed projects I've been involved with. Everyone had the same goal, to make everything be designed on time and on budget — and everybody made their deadlines," Perkins said. "The building opened right on time."

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