THE SPECIMEN SETS THE RULE
Draw the graphic marks from observed plant structures. Branching and veins can guide the line work.
IDENTITY / EDITORIAL / ENVIRONMENT / CAMPAIGN
NYBG: NATURE IN RESONANCE
An NYBG identity that follows the garden's rhythms and seasonal changes, with public programs grounded in botanical knowledge.READ THE STORY ↓
DISCIPLINEIDENTITY / EDITORIAL / ENVIRONMENT / CAMPAIGN
ROLESTRATEGY + IDENTITY + EXPERIENCE DESIGN
PROJECT TYPEINDEPENDENT REBRAND CONCEPT
PATHSPECIMEN → PATTERN → SEASON → PROGRAM → RETURN
THE STRATEGIC HOOK
The garden keeps changing.
A botanical garden looks different with each season, sometimes with each visit. I wanted an identity that could hold that variation and still help you recognize the place. Botanical structures supplied the graphic language. Visitor information needed enough order to stay useful within it.
THE CHOICE
“Build the brand from the visual rhythms plants already create.”
WORKING THROUGH IT
Use the plant structure carefully.
SEASONS CHANGE THE SYSTEM
Color and imagery shift through the living calendar while structure remains recognizable.
SCIENCE STAYS VISIBLE
Put the species name and field notes near the photograph. Visitors can enjoy the image and still find botanical information.
EVERY VISIT OPENS A PATH
Keep the route back to the garden visible, whether someone encounters a transit poster or a membership letter.
THE IDENTITY
Where every living system leaves a pattern.
Observed plant structures generate a modular line system. The mark expands, crops, animates, and organizes information across seasons and programs.
Where every living system leaves a pattern.
GARDEN SANSIDENTITY / WAYFINDING
FIELD SERIFEDITORIAL / EXHIBITIONS
SPECIMEN MONOSCIENCE / LABELS
CANOPY#163B32PRIMARY FIELD
MOSS#6F8B55SEASONAL SIGNAL
PETAL#D76A78PROGRAM ACCENT
PAPER#F3F0E7EDITORIAL CANVAS
THE VISUAL LANGUAGE
LET THE GARDEN WRITE THE GRAPHICS.
Close botanical photographs supply the detail. Line drawings follow structures inside the plants, while field labels identify what you are looking at. Seasonal color changes around that shared layout.
APPLICATION
AN IDENTITY FOR EVERY SEASON.
The same line rules can organize a garden label or a printed map. Larger crops give transit posters enough presence without changing the identity.
EXPERIENCE
LET VISITORS BUILD THEIR OWN GARDEN PATH.
A responsive guide connects season, time, access needs, interests, and live bloom data to a useful route through the grounds.
WHAT IS ALIVE NOW
A live seasonal layer shows bloom, color, weather, and collection highlights.
ROUTES WITH PURPOSE
Visitors choose family, science, quiet, photography, or limited-time program paths.
FIELD NOTES
Saved specimens and stories create a personal record that changes with every visit.
The garden becomes
a living score.
The proposed evening route uses plant information to guide projection and sound. Seasonal changes alter the color, with field recordings introducing the collections along the way.
FLAGSHIP / PUBLIC EXPERIENCENATURE IN RESONANCE
SEE WHAT THE GARDEN SOUNDS LIKE.
SEASON
Seasonal programming changes the color and motion throughout the year.
SCIENCE
Plant data and horticultural knowledge shape the story, not decorative trends.
SOUND
Use field recordings to give the plant collections distinct sounds. Keep the source of each recording visible in the guide.
ACCESS
Signs and digital guides help visitors find their way. Family tools support exploration.
LAUNCH SYSTEMBuild recognition.
Build recognition.
Then build return.
01TEASE / BOTANICAL LINES APPEAR ACROSS TRANSIT
02OPEN / AFTER-DARK PERFORMANCE THROUGH THE GARDEN
03SUSTAIN / SEASONAL FIELD NOTES + MEMBER NIGHTS
The seasonal rules can carry a new exhibition or member night without redrawing the identity. Horticultural information gives each edition its content.
WHERE THE CONCEPT STANDS
A consistent frame for a changing place.
The identity study connects the original print work to proposed visitor materials and digital guides. The later garden experiences extend the same visual language. They remain independent concepts, with no NYBG commission or endorsement claimed.