central square bid
Giving a Neighborhood Its Voice Back.
For four years, I partnered with the Central Square Business Improvement District and Creative Director Nina Berg to concept and execute two consecutive district-wide campaigns along Massachusetts Avenue, the main street running through Cambridge's only Cultural District. Each campaign was an invitation to the Square, promoting the restaurants, farmer's market, small businesses, and cultural institutions that define it.
Meet Me In Central
The first campaign launched alongside the opening of 500 new outdoor dining seats for local restaurants, a significant moment of recovery for the neighborhood. The creative was built around the real stories and faces of Central Square: business owners, residents, and community members photographed throughout the district, paired with historic images and contextual captions that grounded the campaign in the neighborhood's history.
I designed a typographic pattern system that allowed every local business to be represented by category, ensuring the campaign felt as inclusive as the community it was celebrating. Pole banners and big belly graphics went up along Mass. Ave., a gallery wall was installed within Starlight Square, and postcards, stickers, and pens were distributed throughout participating businesses. Campaign videos launched simultaneously on social.
In Central I Can
The second campaign followed with refreshed pole banners and big-belly wraps. New window graphics were also added, activating vacant storefronts along Mass. Ave. into a street-level gallery. Social videos and blog content expanded on the campaign narrative. The visual language evolved from the first campaign while maintaining continuity with the district's established identity.
Outcome
Across both campaigns, the creative was built on stories surfaced through interviews with over 30 small business owners and longtime residents, conducted by the Central Square BID. Our role was to bring those stories to life visually across the district, giving Central Square a unified visual identity that reflected its cultural diversity and gave residents and business owners something to be proud of.
Client: Central Square Business Improvement District
Creative Director (Art): Courtney Perti / Contraire
Creative Director (Copy): Nina Berg / Notionpicture
Photography: Jeffrey Dunn, Sam Williams, Geoffrey Baptiste, Harry Scales