Meet Our City Gardener
Before the soil even freezes, Jena is already planting spring. As the City of Albany’s gardener, she puts more than 100,000 tulip bulbs into the ground each winter — shaping the landscape that defines the city’s most beloved season. Her work sets the stage for the annual Tulip Festival and countless everyday moments in between.
Snapshot.
CLIENT
City of Albany, NY · City Gardener (Jena)
ROLE
Creative Direction · Brand & Experience Design
SCOPE
Seasonal identity, educational materials, accessibility planning, public engagement
FOCUS
Brand system & experience toolkit for Albany’s Tulip Season
The Gap.
While the Tulip Festival is one of Albany’s most iconic traditions, the person behind that beauty had no visual signature of her own. No system to represent the labor, intention, and care woven into every planting.
That’s where this project began.
Objective:
Build a connected marketing and engagement system that:
Unified all Tulip-related materials under one visual identity
Made the City Gardener visible and recognizable
Extended the experience beyond the festival weekend
Added educational and interactive touchpoints for all ages
Expanded access through audio and ADA-supported tours
Not just to promote a tradition — but to create a season, a story, and a system residents could follow and return to.
Designing How People Move, See, and Feel
Informational Brochure
A compact, fold-out guide introducing the City Gardener, tulip science, and key festival touchpoints — designed as a keepsake as much as an informational piece.
Kids Activity Worksheets
Interactive, tulip-themed worksheets that kept children engaged while Jena explained the science and process behind bulb planting and growth.
Tulip Audio Tour
An on-demand listening experience that allowed residents to walk the route at their own pace, guided by Jena’s voice and storytelling — expanding access beyond scheduled tour times.
Tulip Awareness Videos
Short-form promotional videos to build anticipation and inform residents about the planting process, tour schedules, and seasonal milestones.
City Gardener Business Card
A personalized card for Jena featuring planting tips — reimagining traditional Dutch fleurs as an educational and branded takeaway.
Branded Tulip Bed Plaques
Custom markers identifying and honoring each planting area, turning anonymous beds into named, recognized parts of the landscape.
Tulip Season App
A mobile-friendly tool bringing the entire experience into one place — featuring festival information, tour routes, audio, educational content, and seasonal updates for both in-person and remote visitors.
ADA-Accessible Tour Planning
Coordinated golf cart support and adjusted routes so residents with mobility challenges could fully participate in Tulip Season experiences.
This work gives visibility to a role that quietly shapes Albany every year. It turns seasonal labor into a consistent presence and transforms a tradition into an identity.
She plants the city. This system helps the city see her.
