Springfield TDI Placemaking & Branding Study

2016
Springfield, Massachusetts
Project Manager & Lead Designer at Utile

The Downtown District in Springfield, MA, hosts a number of parking facilities that are disorienting in quantity and similarity, especially to visitors unfamiliar with the area. As part of the Commonwealth’s Gateway Cities Transformative Development Initiative (TDI), Utile worked with branding consultant Visual Dialogue, MassDevelopment, the City of Springfield, Springfield BID, and DevelopSpringfield to enhance these facilities in an effort to make the area more welcoming and memorable.

The project team developed a flexible design toolkit incorporating wayfinding, wall murals, signage, lighting, and landscaping to be utilized by owners of the area’s public and private parking lots and garages. Once these prototypes have been implemented, the participating parking facilities will serve as a district branding mechanism and a visual guide to direct and orient visitors.

Role: As the project manager and lead designer, I designed the temporary furniture and site strategy. I worked closely with the graphic designer to coordinate the district way finding, mural, and furniture branding.