Local Campaign Development and Graphic Design Services

The Supporting Parks and Revitalizing Communities Study (SPARCS) is a joint initiative led by CUNY’s Center for Systems and Community Design and 3×3, a Brooklyn-based innovation and design studio, in collaboration with Partnership for Parks. The study aims to pilot community-led activations in eight recently redesigned New York City parks, supporting resident wellbeing through co-created, place-based programming.

SPARCS has begun its first wave of program pilots in four (4) New York City parks— Luther Gulick Park (Lower East Side, Manhattan), Astoria Heights Playground (Astoria, Queens), Al Quinones Playground (Longwood, The Bronx), and Hilltop Playground (Ocean Hill, Brooklyn)—to activate neighborhood parks through a community-centered co-design process. These efforts have involved deep collaboration with local design teams composed of community advocates, leaders, and residents. Following a year of intensive community engagement, each park has completed a co-design process resulting in the creation of a unique park-based program aimed at enhancing physical, social, and mental wellbeing for local residents. These programs will operate through August 2025, supported by grant funding from the National Institute of Health. To connect these programs to their local communities, the SPARCS program team seeks to deploy place-based campaigns that promote and amplify each of the four Wave 1 SPARCS programs while fostering broader community involvement. These four local campaigns will integrate storytelling, graphic design, and digital presence to highlight the parks, their programs, and the broader SPARCS initiative while documenting and amplifying resident-led stories. In spring/summer 2026, Wave 2 of the study will also take place so there may be additional opportunities for campaign development and design services.

Scope of Work:

To support the place-based campaigns, we are seeking local designer(s) to provide Local Campaign Development, Visual Identity, and Graphic Design Services for each Wave 1 SPARCS site—Hilltop Playground, Luther Gulick Park, Astoria Heights Playground, and Al Quiñones Playground:

Local Campaign Development

The consultant will develop and execute place-based campaigns tailored to each SPARCS site and program, ensuring alignment with the broader SPARCS initiative. This includes:

• Developing campaign and social media strategies to drive community awareness, engagement, and participation for each park program.
• Creating tailored messaging frameworks for each site to reflect local community identities, values, and goals, based on provided information from the SPARCS project team and Local Design Teams.
• Supporting the rollout of campaigns across digital platforms, print media, and on-site activations (e.g. poster painting events at the park to engage families and children, etc)

Campaign Identity

The consultant will expand upon the existing branding and identity guidelines to create site- and program-specific visual assets. Deliverables include:

• Campaign Lockups: Develop variations/refinements of the existing SPARCS logo to reflect each site/program.
• Brand Guidelines: Extend existing initiative guidelines to include program-specific design considerations, including color palettes, typography, and visual hierarchies.
• Custom Visual Assets: Design unique elements (e.g., icons, illustrations) to enhance storytelling and campaign visuals.

Graphic Design Services

The consultant will produce visually compelling outreach and promotional materials to support brand implementation and communication efforts for up to 3-4 small collateral and 1-2 large pieces of collateral. Deliverables may include templates for:

• Large collateral:
  • A-frame sidewalk sign templates (22” x 28”)
  • Retractable pop-up banners and/or table banners for events
• Small collateral:
  • Promotional flyers and posters
  • Palm cards or hotcards
  • Branded giveaways such as stickers, pins, etc.
  • Social media graphics and/or email newsletter templates

Milestones

We seek a designer or design team that can work under the following deadlines: 

• Visual Identity and Graphic Design Services: Feb. 24, ongoing
• Website Development: March 1, ongoing
• Local Campaign Development: March 1, ongoing

Design Budget and Application Process

Designers may apply to work on one or more of the four (4) SPARCS sites listed above. Preference will be given to designers or design teams who are locally-based or who have local ties (defined as being based within the same neighborhood or borough as the SPARCS site).

Budget Per Site: Up to $8,000

Interested consultants should submit the following:

• A portfolio of relevant work
• A brief statement of interest outlining your approach to community-driven design
• References from similar projects
• Budget breakdown

Interested? Great! Please submit your application through this link by October 6, we are looking to fill the position quickly. Compensation is commensurate with experience and time commitment. Please submit your resume or CV, work samples (or link to online portfolio), and blog (if available).  Applicants must select “Program Strategist as the Position of Interest field in the form.

3×3 is a minority and women-owned and managed organization with a majority BIPOC staff. Our community-centered approach emphasizes the agency role of people that are disproportionately affected by systemic barriers — including people of color, people from low-income backgrounds, women, nonbinary, indigenous, LGBTQ, immigrants, and other people from the global majority.  We strongly encourage applications from people with these identities.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, but we highly recommend getting in your submission by 1/26.

3×3 will hold an Office Hours session for any interested candidates interested in learning more about the project and/or scope of work on Tuesday, January 21st from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 

Please register using this link.