Catch something: Des Moines' Convention and Visitors Bureau reveals a rebrand

This week the GDMCVB was jubilant over the roll out of its new slogan, logo, and site redesign, all encouraging people to "Catch Des Moines."

We aren't sure what "Catch Des Moines" means, but the CVB carries it through several applications on its site, to varying degrees of success.

"Catch holiday cheer"? Sure.

"Catch spirited science"? That one doesn't work as well -- it's hard for our brains to parse.

But "catch a loving curse"? Maybe the CVB should rethink that one. The verb "catch" already has our minds in a place that makes us want to wash our hands. "Catch a loving curse" doesn't make sense to the first-time viewer, and it sounds like Des Moines will give visitors an STI.

We also wonder how long this design will be used -- and how often the CVB will have to think up pertinent things to "catch" about featured events.

Overall, the site redesign is...fine. There isn't a major improvement in usability, and it isn't particularly visually exciting. It seems like the CVB could have benefitted from one more person asking tough questions about features, like, "What is the purpose of including a weather widget on every already-packed page?"

Sure hope they like that "Catch Des Moines" slogan, though -- they've even changed their Twitter handle to match.