Creating an Ecosystem for Technology, Culture, and Big Ideas
The original Michigan Central train station was all about connecting people—commuters, travelers, dreamers, wanderers. When the nation’s most iconic automaker, Ford, wanted help envisioning its next chapter, it knew it could draw on that remarkable legacy to inspire something even greater. The project would be more than a complete renovation of the train station. It would represent the possibilities of Detroit’s future. Watson was asked to create a dynamic, forward-looking new brand for Michigan Central that would define the beginning of a new innovation district, with the station as its anchor.
Michigan Central—since named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in Economic Development—has become a technology and cultural hub where businesses, creators, and communities converge to propel bold ideas forward. As part of that effort, the station is now known as The Station at Michigan Central, where impressive tenants like NoMad Hotel will move in.
Over 30 acres, the district is an ode to the strength of its home city and a road map for a new era in Detroit. Every detail of Watson’s messaging and identity emphasizes the heart, resilient spirit, and culture of innovation at the center of the brand, and of Detroit. Michigan Central is sparking a new era of transformation, attracting the next generation of builders and thinkers to Detroit.
