Snug Harbor master plan logotype

Snug Harbor is a National Historic Landmark District and a Smithsonian-affiliated cultural center located in Staten Island, New York City’s most remote borough. Originally established as a sailors’ retirement home, Snug Harbor is now a public park boasting a stunning collection of 19th century Greek Revival, Beaux Arts, Italianate, and Victorian buildings.

In 2019, New York City commissioned a comprehensive 30-year master plan to improve the park, which included new signage and branding alongside plans for site revitalization and redevelopment. In collaboration with Open, I designed the custom wordmark, monogram, and select spreads for the vision book summarizing the master plan.

The wordmark draws on historic lettering from across Snug Harbor in a direct and precise way: each of its 10 distinct characters is derived from a specific sign or inscription found in the park, that I redrew to work together by using shared proportions, matching widths, and complementary weights. The logotype is paired with November Slab by Typotheque for use in wayfinding and print collateral.

Brand identity and wayfinding schemes by Open’s Cat Kucharek and Scott Stowell. Renderings courtesy of Marvel Architects.