Students at the Hartford Art School are known for their creativity and innovation, but it’s the impact many of them make in the world that plant the seeds for positive change. In a recent project, Civic Design students were tasked with rebranding the City of Hartford’s Keney Park, which despite its rich history, has been neglected for years. Ultimately, the chosen design came from senior Carly Bonansinga.
The school’s Civic Design collective, which is both a course and a student visual communications agency, offers students the opportunity to gain real-world experience by teaming with clients and professionals to build powerful and positive brand experience. Over the last 10 years, Civic Design has worked with almost 70 nonprofit and community organizations.
Friends of Keney Park is a volunteer grassroots organization that is tasked with promoting activities that create a more inviting atmosphere for park users. Keney Park is one of the largest public parks in New England, with over 693 acres. The land was initially gifted to the City of Hartford by an investor and wholesale grocer, Henry Keney, in 1894, which expanded the then-emerging park system. It was designed by the landscape architectural firm of Frederick Law Olmsted, with the goal of being a “truly sylvan pastoral landscape.”
Bonansinga’s rebrand emphasized three important facets of the park’s identity: growth, community, and history. These included the park’s natural beauty and its potential, the people who make the park special, and the deep-rooted historical significance. Her ideas for additional applications for a rebrand include signage, merchandise, and a refresh on the website and social media to expand the reach and impact. Michael Scricco, a HAS faculty member in visual communication design, summed up Bonansinga and her work stating simply, “She’s a star.”
The origins of the Keney Park rebrand were a natural progression from previous projects such as energizing the Frog Hollow section of Hartford, which has had a reputation as a dangerous area. Civic Design worked with Public Art Connecticut to develop an awareness and branding program. Students had worked closely on these projects, largely due to the relationship with iQuilt Partnership and its executive director, Jackie Gorsky Mandyck. iQuilt Partnership is an organization that promotes cultural vitality in the Hartford area through its network of community organizations, and specifically works with design professionals to ensure Hartford’s public space is inclusive and approachable.
Mandyck has been thrilled with the previous projects, saying “I cannot speak more highly of the work that the Civic Design students have done.” The branding projects have been “beautiful” and she noted that other members of the public have started to notice this as well. Mandyck was also influential in recommending the Keney Park rebrand as a fall Civic Design project.
Ultimately, the Keney Park rebrand hopes to be be formally adopted in 2024, with possible plans to include the new proposed name (People of Keney Park) and a website. Now that the roots of the rebrand have formed a foundation, new energy and opportunities can grow—and make an impact to a wider community.