The Crossing Clarendon is a series of interconnected stores, restaurants, offices and residential space. That name has defined a powerful identity for a space that might otherwise look like any other commercial or retail space in Arlington, Virginia. Despite this distinctive brand, the identity it represents has not been cultivated to truly enable engagement for residents or visitors.
The Crossing Clarendon has been voted Best of Arlington for multiple years and it boasts national and regional retailers along with local shops and services. All of these elements highlight how many different reasons people have to visit the space. It has become part of the local community by cultivating retailers and a culture that reflect the lifestyle needs of the neighborhoods that surrounds the center.
However, this engagement is limited due to what are plain and non-descript landmarks in the space. An overgrown planter and plain gazebo are central elements of the landmark, which contracts the unique brand and logo of The Crossing Clarendon. Additionally, these features could bring that much more prominence to expanded and upgraded office space in the center of the development, which has been defined as The Loft Office at The Crossing Clarendon. These unique names and developments offer further opportunities for engagement.
Neighborhoods and small commercial spaces similarly use branding like The Crossing Clarendon but they’ve also cultivated monuments that are connected to the history of the area or are designed to enable engagement in a personal manner. Without any of these especially distinctive landmarks or features, audiences have limited options in the space.
Using the powerful identity that it has already cultivated, The Crossing Clarendon has the potential to become a hub of activity on a whole different level for the surrounding community and beyond. Providing audiences with additional means to connect with the identity that The Crossing Clarendon has already established could enable it to become a hub of activity that attracts audiences from across the community and beyond.
