A Signage System Takes Root in NYC Parks
Eight years after a comprehensive redesign, a streamlined signage system can be found in almost all of New York’s parks.
In 2011, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation introduced a refreshed brand identity by Pentagram’s Paula Scher that streamlined the iconic leaf symbol and introduced a comprehensive brand system. The project included the design of a cohesive program of signage, wayfinding and environmental graphics, and eight years later, these new signs have been implemented in almost all of the city’s more than 1,700 parks, playgrounds and recreation facilities across the five boroughs.
Prior to the redesign, signs in each park existed as a cacophony of separate panels and signage types, produced using different methods in a variety of sizes and colors, all jumbled together in a patchwork of information. The new system consolidated all of this into a single panel that puts all the rules and regulations in one place, in multiple languages, with minimal visual clutter in the natural environment―helping to make the parks more beautiful than ever.
Redesigned signage at City Hall Park.
Redesigned signage at Brighton Beach.
Park signage before the redesign.
