90% of Parks Reimagined
Documenting a decade of transformation in Albany’s public spaces.
Over the course of Mayor Kathy Sheehan’s administration, more than 90% of Albany’s parks have been renovated, restored, or reimagined. Playgrounds, pools, pathways, lighting, and green spaces were upgraded — block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood.
But large-scale change like that doesn’t always look large in the moment. It arrives in pieces. A swing set here. A path there. A new court. A reopened pool. Individually, they feel small. Together, they define a legacy.
90% of Parks Reimagined was created to make that legacy visible.
Artistic Vision
In 12 years, more than 90% of Albany’s parks were renovated, restored, or reimagined. But numbers alone don’t make a legacy visible.
This project translated that stat into a visual, physical, and emotional record of what happened across the city — turning policy investments into something residents could see, feel, and remember.
At the center of the system: a leaf-shaped patchwork graphic, symbolizing individual parks coming together as one citywide ecosystem.
Designing How People Move, See, and Feel
Wayfinding as Storytelling
Large-scale signs announcing:
“In 12 Years, +90% of Parks Renovated” — paired with words of movement and restoration — breathe, stretch, play, relax, explore, jump, run — reminding people that parks are not just infrastructure, they are spaces for life.
Custom “Patchwork Leaf” Visual System
Each section of the leaf reflected a different type of park space — playgrounds, courts, trails, open land — stitched together as a symbol of collective transformation
Customized Ribbon
A custom ribbon for opening with branding and roll call of renovated and reimagined parks across the city.
Thank-You & Partner Recognition Board
A designed acknowledgement system honoring the contractors, event sponsors, and state and local partners who made the work possible — because legacy is never built alone
Event Promotional Materials
Rally signage, display boards, and engagement visuals crafted for events, presentations, and public installations — ensuring this work moved beyond reports and into community spaces.
Sticker Sheet
The sheet turned data, spaces, and symbols of play into a tactile, expressive experience for kids.
The design included illustrated icons such as a basketball hoop, bicycle, sun, frog, tulip, swing set, Albany’s mascots, and hand-drawn movement words—Run, Explore, Stretch, Breathe, Play, Relax, Climb, Gather, Jump—reflecting how children actually use these spaces every day.
The Strategy Behind the Design
his was not just a campaign.
It was visual record-keeping.
Instead of documenting parks individually, I designed a system that:
Revealed scale and impact at a glance
Connected neighborhoods through a shared visual language
Turned data into place-based storytelling
Shifted perception from “park upgrades” to city transformation
Preserved a mayoral legacy without campaigning — only through evidence
I didn’t design a sign. I designed remembrance.