Role
Company: Pittsburgh Yards, Atlanta Beltline, & the Annie E. Casey Foundation
Role: Design Lead / Program Management
Timeline: 2018 – 2020
Challenge
Pittsburgh Yards® is a 31-acre redevelopment project along the Atlanta BeltLine, envisioned by The Annie E. Casey Foundation to create pathways for economic mobility in one of Atlanta’s most historic and underserved communities.
The challenge was complex: how do you design a brand and experience that reflects economic opportunity, cultural pride, and equity — without becoming another symbol of displacement?
We needed to align foundation leaders, developers, investors, small business owners, and lifelong residents around a shared vision that felt both aspirational and authentic. The process had to balance systemic impact with deeply personal connection.
Goal
My goal was to design a brand and experience system that reflected the spirit of the Pittsburgh neighborhood; its resilience, creativity, and economic potential while aligning multiple stakeholders around one shared vision.
I wanted the design to do more than symbolize progress; it needed to activate it by connecting strategy, funding, and lived experience through a cohesive identity and process.
Problem
The challenge was complex: how do you design a brand and experience that embodies economic opportunity, cultural pride, and equity without contributing to the very displacement the project aimed to prevent.
We needed to align foundation leaders, developers, investors, small business owners, and lifelong residents around a unified narrative that was both aspirational and authentic. The work required balancing systemic impact with deeply human stories.
I treat design as a tool for trust-building as much as for communication.
Process
I approached the project through alignment and inclusion
I joined weekly community meetings to listen first, gathering real insights from residents and entrepreneurs so their voices guided every design decision. Partnering with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, project leads, and economic development partners, I helped translate strategy into outcomes that supported leasing, programming, and activation. By transforming open-ended feedback into clear, actionable design systems, I unified brand, environmental, and digital experiences into one cohesive vision that reflected the project’s purpose.
Success and impact
We created a cohesive brand anchored by the “P” mark—a continuous line symbolizing connection across people, history, and opportunity.
This identity extended beyond the logo to inform signage, digital presence, and the environmental storytelling throughout the Nia Building™ business hub. The brand became a living system—one that celebrates community, reinforces equity, and scales as the site continues to evolve.
The result was more than a visual identity—it was a framework for shared ownership and long-term impact.
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Supported the $26M+ Phase I development with a unified, community-driven identity.
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Enabled leasing and activation of 101 small business workspaces, advancing entrepreneurship and job creation.
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Helped secure federal EDA and NMTC grants, supporting future growth and an estimated 1,000+ long-term jobs.
This project strengthened my belief that design can operate as connective tissue—linking strategy, systems, and people to achieve outcomes that last far beyond the launch moment