Vanguard New Rochelle Brand Identity

The City of New Rochelle was undergoing one of the largest downtown redevelopment initiatives in its history, with thousands of new residential units, commercial developments, and public investments transforming the city into a vibrant destination for businesses, residents, and visitors. Marino was selected to help create a brand that would unify this long-term vision and position downtown as a premier place to live, work, invest, and experience culture.

The project required more than designing a visual identity. We needed to create a compelling brand that could inspire confidence among city leadership, developers, business owners, and the local community while supporting the City’s broader economic development strategy. The brand needed to communicate progress, opportunity, and a renewed sense of place that would encourage investment and increase downtown activity.

As Creative Lead, I partnered directly with Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert, Commissioner of Development Adam Salgado, Deputy Commissioner Jorge Ventura, and other city stakeholders throughout the project. I helped develop the “Vanguard New Rochelle” name, presented the creative direction to city leadership, and led the strategy, design, and implementation of the brand across every major touchpoint.

I managed a multidisciplinary creative team that included designers and video production, overseeing weekly planning meetings, project timelines, budgets, and creative execution to ensure the initiative remained consistent across print, digital, environmental graphics, events, and promotional campaigns.

Impact

Working closely with the City and our agency team, we developed a complete brand ecosystem that extended far beyond the logo. Every element was designed to create a consistent experience that reinforced New Rochelle’s transformation into a modern destination for business, entertainment, dining, and community.

Rather than creating a standalone campaign, the Vanguard identity became the public face of New Rochelle’s downtown revitalization initiative. The brand continues to support the City’s efforts to attract businesses, developers, and visitors while communicating a long-term vision for economic growth. The initiative promoted a redevelopment program that included more than 11,000 authorized residential units, 32 approved development projects, retail expansion, public infrastructure investments, and new incentives for businesses considering relocation to the district.