Hudson River Park is a vital recreational, environmental, educational and cultural resource for New York City that spans four+ miles over 550 acres of water and green space. The park is maintained by community support and not by the city.  I worked with various departments at Friends on many brand projects. 

550 Acres Fund is one of my favorite projects to date.  550 Fund is an initiative to raise funds to support the park and its public programs.  When HRPK approached me, they knew they needed a design intervention to illustrate the impact of an annual fund donation at a glance. The brief was for an infographic about how the donations were used to inspire current and future donors. I immediately knew that what they really needed was more than an infographic.  They needed a brand system. 

My vision for the 550 Fund was beyond an outline of where the donations are used but a visual system that would encapsulate the spirit of nature in the park over seasons.   A system that would leverage the incredible image library of the park’s natural wonders. Applying the definition of “acre” from the tagline,  I picked a square frame as the key visual element, layered and interacting with the natural details of the park’s photos, creating an opportunity for endless creations.

As I guided the team to clarify and nail down the narrative of the fund, the infographic naturally evolved to illustrate how the funding supports landscapes and gardens, education and estuary research, and environmental sustainability in the Park. Building on the beautiful brand designed by Pentagram for HRPK, I created a captivating design system that brings the park’s beauty front and center, instills joy, and ultimately inspires donors to support the park through the 550 Fund.