NEW YORK NY
Sol Salgar, Central Park Conservancy Associate Director of Graphic Design, writes:
“The Central Park Conservancy is a private nonprofit organization that manages Central Park ‒ one of the most beloved and visited urban parks in the world. As the inhouse graphic design team, our main responsibility is to be the lead visual communicators of the Conservancy’s brand and purpose. We aspire to evoke the spirit of Central Park in everything we design while engaging and/or educating our visitors and supporters. We want people to come and enjoy the Park’s beautiful landscapes and to learn that the Conservancy dedicates its efforts and resources to sustaining the Park. As a result, our design work is closely connected to the Conservancy’s mission — to restore, manage, and enhance Central Park in partnership with the public for the enjoyment of all. We are environmentally conscious when designing within budgetary constraints, and we pride ourselves on being both prudent and resourceful when choosing materials, vendors, and methods of production. Most of the projects we design have the potential to educate people on the importance of not just Central Park, but all urban parks. We want to motivate the public to help sustain these green spaces for the enjoyment of current and future generations of park users.”
The Central Park Conservancy offers a variety of educational programs and resources to help cultivate urban park stewards. The Discovery Program is an immersive adventure that allows children and adults to use the Park as a captivating outdoor classroom. We designed the Discovery Program’s Journals and Notebook to facilitate these educational opportunities. The Discovery Journals come in three adventure themes: Gardens, Woodlands, and Water Bodies. Each journal is custom designed to a landscape in order to guide visitors as they explore how people, plants, and wildlife thrive in an urban park environment. Each journal includes a map, educational activities, and important facts about how to keep Central Park’s landscapes healthy and beautiful. The Discovery Notebook functions as a companion: a wire-o notepad that participants can use in the field to write and draw their observations during guided activities. The inspiration for our design approach for these pieces were scrapbooks, coloring books, nature illustrations, and fun! The Conservancy intends for the Discovery Program and these Discovery resources to engage and inspire future generations to become dedicated caretakers of Central Park.
Pictured Above: Lilly Passalacqua and Sol Salgar
