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Manresa Wilds

Turning ruin into wonder.

Strategy
Branding
Naming
Content
Website
Manresa Wilds is an ecological park being built on a decommissioned power plant site in Norwalk, Connecticut. It will reconnect the community to the Long Island Sound for the first time in 75 years. We partnered with Manresa Island Corp. and Reach Creative to create the park’s name, brand, and website.
Manresa Wilds

Name it something wild.

The name needed to spark curiosity and reflect the park’s natural spirit. Manresa Wilds builds on what the community has long called the site—Manresa Island—preserving a familiar name and pointing to a more imaginative, adventurous future.
Manresa Wilds

A new lore comes to life.

The brand system feels elemental and otherworldly. Inspired by runes, petroglyphs, and the ecology of the Sound, it channels the spirit of freedom and curiosity at the heart of the park’s vision.
Manresa Wilds

Momentum takes root.

The new website is both invitation and infrastructure. It’s supports fundraising, public programming, and community engagement, and it’s built to grow with the long-term, phased transformation of the park.
Manresa Wilds' home page, featuring an aerial view of the park including water, trails, forests, and buildings with headline 'The Wilds Are Calling' and live park updates on plants, animals, and weather.
Manresa Wilds

Turning ruin into wonder.

Strategy
Branding
Naming
Content
Website

Manresa Wilds is an ecological park being built on a decommissioned power plant site in Norwalk, Connecticut. It will reconnect the community to the Long Island Sound for the first time in 75 years. We partnered with Manresa Island Corp. and Reach Creative to create the park’s name, brand, and website.

The mark is inspired by an osprey diving into the Long Island Sound. It reflects the park’s relationship to nature and water, and invites people to plunge headlong into the Wilds.

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Manresa Wilds logo shown in black and in white.

We created a custom visual language we call “wildglyphs.” Drawn from nature, myth, and mark‑making, the symbols spark curiosity and invite people to form their own meaning.

We crafted a clear north star statement to align a wide network of partners and guide a cross-disciplinary team toward a shared vision for the park.

Collage of wildglyphs depicting plants and animals that are found in the park.
Three out-of-home billboards with headlines "Scale the Wilds." "Paddle the Wilds." and "Splash the Wilds."

OOH creative was designed to intrigue, not explain. Bold typography, spare messaging, and arresting visuals create a sense of mystery, pulling people into the Wilds.

We made the wildglyphs by cutting and arranging paper shapes to find organic, unexpected forms. That physical process gave them their off-kilter charm and raw energy—more unearthed than designed.

Brochure titled 'Spring Wilds Guide' showing an indoor water slide with people and a green panel reading 'Like Nowhere Else' with Manresa Wilds branding.
Two outdoor wayfinding signs: left, a wooden post with a butterfly habitat labeled 'Monarch Butterfly'; right, an abstracted "Watch for Deer" sign.
Two enamel mugs with wildglyphs depicting plants and animals that are found in the park.

The website is designed to feel expansive and convey the scale of what’s coming. It introduces the park's long‑term vision and is built to evolve as each phase takes shape.

White long-sleeve shirt with Manresa Wilds' logo and wildglyphs on the sleeve, alongside a gray baseball cap with Manresa Wilds' logo.

The brand system is a canvas for storytelling. Each piece extends the brand into the physical world and turns the park’s spirit into something you can wear, use, and carry with you.

Collage of a monumental bird sculpture, a park wall with embossed wildglyphs, and park brochures.
“From the start, this team got it. They understood the need to honor the community’s connection to Manresa, acknowledge the site’s complex past, and help us imagine what comes next. The brand they created turned decades of industrial damage into a source of pride and possibility.”
Jessica Vonashek
Executive Director, Manresa Island Corp.
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