2016
Historic Marker + Support Material
This project was developed for the Historic Preservation Commission of New Paltz, where I served as a commissioner. The work involved designing an updated historic marker and supporting visual materials that reflect the cultural significance of the local site. The goal was to create signage that was clear, respectful, and visually consistent with the Commission’s mission to preserve, educate, and honor the region’s history. The final design balances legibility, accessibility, and aesthetics, ensuring that visitors can easily engage with the historical context while experiencing a cohesive visual presentation at the site.
The Design
The visual identity for the Historic Marker project was built from symbols deeply rooted in New Paltz’s history. To create a logo that felt both culturally respectful and uniquely local, I combined three key elements:
• The Huguenot dove (inverted) – referencing the French Huguenot settlers who founded New Paltz, the dove symbolizes peace, migration, and the region’s historical origins.
• The fleur-de-lis – a traditional emblem associated with French heritage, woven into the design to reinforce the community’s lineage and cultural foundation.
• The apple – added as a direct nod to the Hudson Valley’s agricultural identity, linking New Paltz’s past to the present-day landscape and local economy.
These symbols were merged into a single cohesive mark that feels historic without being literal, and modern without losing its sense of place.
To support the primary mark, I selected a deep maroon as the signature color for the signage—an intentional choice that reflects the New Paltz High School colors, grounding the identity in something immediately recognizable to the community.
The marker system was created to bring visibility to a historic cemetery site, but the broader goal was scalability. I developed a repeatable template that standardizes layout, typography, hierarchy, and fabrication specifications. This allows future markers across New Paltz to share a unified identity while easily updating the written content for each new location.
This adaptable system has since been used to produce other historic markers throughout New Paltz, establishing a consistent visual language for the town’s heritage sites.