Create Austin
Empowering Austin’s Arts and Creativity
Create Austin, a dynamic initiative programmed and produced by the Long Center, aims to support and uplift Austin’s creative communities. By providing essential tools and resources, Create Austin fosters sustained creative innovation. The organization collaborates closely with the City of Austin Economic Development Department to administer key cultural funding initiatives, ensuring artists, musicians, educators, and organizers receive the support they need.
Upon Create Austin’s inception, they approached us due to our longstanding relationship with the Long Center. When the concept for Create Austin was introduced, Long Center CEO Cory Baker immediately contacted us to collaborate. Our initial conversations began months before the project officially started, involving brainstorming sessions to transform their concept into reality. Our role evolved from mere execution to envisioning and creating a comprehensive strategy.
Creating a Brand for Austin's Creative Community
Seventh Scout developed Create Austin’s brand identity to resonate with Austin’s creative spirit. Our approach included workshops to define values, multiple logo concepts with community feedback, and a cohesive visual identity that reflects inclusivity and modernity.
Introducing Create Austin to the Community
Establishing Create Austin’s social media presence was crucial for community engagement. We crafted a content calendar to maintain consistent communication, highlighting community events, success stories, and resource articles. Paid ad campaigns targeted Austin’s creative demographics, enhancing visibility and engagement.
“Seventh Scout has been our most valued thought partner as we developed Create Austin. Launching a brand new initiative can been daunting work, especially one that endeavors to positively impact the lives of Austin’s creative community, but the Seventh Scout team made every step of the process thought-provoking and fun. Their mastery of brand development got us to our goal quicker and with a much better developed product — from our colors, fonts and logos to our web and social content and strategy.”
Bobby Garza
Chief Program Officer, Long Center
Building a Website That Supports Austin's Creative Ecosystem
Resources for Austin's Creative Community
The Create Austin website features a bilingual multimedia Resource Hub housing critical information for Grant Applicants and Awardees. Resources include valuable tools, guides, and third-party integrations tailored to streamline the application process and empower Austin’s creative community to thrive.
The Impact of Austin's Cultural Funding Initiatives
Create Austin serves as an important conduit between the City of Austin’s Economic Development Department and the local art and creative community. The website’s Impact section allows visitors to explore the impact of the City of Austin’s cultural funding programs.
Grants in Action
Seventh Scout created data visualization dashboards for each grant utilizing information from the City of Austin’s Economic Development Department. These interactive maps and infographics highlight economic contributions across city council districts, providing transparency and understanding of funding distribution.
You Had to Be There
I think I know this joke! “A Millennial Libra walks into a Create Austin meeting wearing a band T-shirt…” This playful scenario led to an inside joke among our teams, which you can now find showcased in the FAQ section of the website!
Positive Outcomes
Launch of Create Austin website and social media channels to connect audiences and generate visibility to resources.
Top pages on Google speak to our connecting with grant awardees and applicants with the necessary resources.
High average engagement time on the website reflects the resources and information that is valuable to various audiences.
In 6 months following website launch — Established 1st-page search results ranking for 10 keywords directly related to audience-needed solutions.
