The campaign achieved major reach and engagement across channels, with 45.8M+ digital billboard impressions, 10.1M+ transit impressions, and over 70K total page views on startup.utah.gov. The site drew 38K unique visitors, driving 489 completed business plan sessions and over 209K engagements statewide. With 71% mobile users, the design’s mobile-first strategy proved critical to its success.
Startup State became the cornerstone of Utah’s economic storytelling — a campaign and platform that reframed how the state connects with entrepreneurs.
Result
The creative platform “Start Something Here” became the anchor for all campaign storytelling — a call to action for both first-time founders and seasoned entrepreneurs. We launched statewide with a mix of digital and OOH media, including billboards, transit, print, and social placements, supported by the new website as the campaign’s functional center.
The site design emphasized simplicity, clarity, and mobility, consolidating multi-agency resources into an intuitive step-by-step experience. Its bright, modern interface gave government tools the warmth and usability of a startup brand.
Process
As Creative Director, I led the creative concept for The Startup State campaign and helped design the UX/UI for startup.utah.gov — a one-stop digital hub for business owners to start and run their companies in Utah. Working across internal teams, agency partners, and developers, I unified campaign messaging, design language, and tone of voice across film, print, digital, and web.
Approach
Challenge
Utah’s startup ecosystem was thriving, but its public identity lagged behind. The Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity needed a cohesive creative platform and web experience to showcase Utah as the nation’s most business-friendly state — a place where entrepreneurs could launch and grow with confidence.
Startup State — Integrated Brand & Digital Experience Campaign
A statewide initiative reframing Utah as The Startup State — uniting creative direction, campaign storytelling, and a new digital platform to make entrepreneurship simpler and more inspiring.
Creative Director