Pierce Transit
Public Perception Campaign
Pierce Transit faced low perceived value among local residents and was frequently confused with regional service providers like Sound Transit.
As Senior Designer, I developed and launched a multi-channel campaign to clarify Pierce Transit’s role and reposition it as a vital contributor to community well-being.
Client
Pierce Transit
Role
Senior Designer
Services
Led campaign strategy, creative direction, messaging, and execution across all channels.
The Challenge
Public perception of Pierce Transit was limited and unclear:
Viewed as non-essential by many residents
Frequently confused with regional transit services
Lacked a strong emotional or community-driven connection
The challenge was to reframe transit as a meaningful, everyday contributor to community health and opportunity.
The Approach
Instead of focusing on service details, I reframed transit around universal human needs—themes like opportunity, local business, and staying active.
This led to a simple but scalable campaign platform:
“Improving local transit, because [universal need] matters.”
This messaging connected Pierce Transit’s services to outcomes people already value, making the benefit immediately clear and relatable.
From there, I:
Developed a flexible campaign system adaptable across channels
Led copywriting and verbal identity development
Directed visual identity, typography, and photography
Designed and launched multi-channel assets (billboards, transit ads, bus shelters, print)
Created a dedicated landing page to extend engagement and collect community stories
Built a feedback loop, incorporating user-submitted stories into future campaign iterations
The Results
Generated 31M+ campaign impressions across out-of-home and print channels
Drove 17,000+ landing page visits, making it one of the most-visited non-service pages during the campaign period
Increased public engagement, with dozens of community-submitted stories
Established a scalable campaign platform for ongoing storytelling and future iterations
Strengthened community connection and perception of Pierce Transit as a valuable local service
Campaign assets were used in discussions with elected officials, helping communicate impact clearly at a policy level
