The City of North Adams

In 2014, Stoltze Design was selected to develop a new visual identity, brand strategy, and wayfinding system for the City of North Adams, Massachusetts. Home to MASS MoCA, a one-of-a-kind contemporary art museum, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and a dedicated work force, North Adams offers the welcoming community of a small town with the resources and culture of a big city, set among the natural beauty of the north Berkshires. The new visual identity reflects the values of North Adams and its people, institutions, businesses, and environment. Our goal was to articulate and emphasize the dynamic, evolving character of North Adams, while celebrating the city’s history. The new identity is designed to attract job creators and creative entrepreneurs, to give voice to civic pride, and to project North Adams as a richly diverse community. 

The community branding was developed through a series of immersive visits, discovery sessions, stakeholder presentations, and community input. In partnership with Wojciechowski Design, the brand strategy and visual identity is being widely applied to the city’s wayfinding system and physical environment.