Brand identity & design system for a teen-focused space within the Boston Public Library
Teen Central is a free space within the Boston Public Library designed for students in grades 6–12 to explore, connect, and create. When I came on board, the brand needed a direction, something that felt genuinely youthful and expressive, without drifting away from the broader BPL identity.
The challenge was designing for an audience that's notoriously hard to reach: teenagers are quick to dismiss anything that feels corporate, forced, or like it was designed by someone who doesn't get them. So I leaned into bold color, loose typography, and inclusive imagery that reflected the actual diversity of the teens who used the space — creating something that felt more like a cultural hangout than a library program.
To make the system sustainable, I built a set of flexible Canva templates that empowered library staff to create their own posters and promotional materials without needing a designer in the room. The result was a brand that could live and grow beyond my involvement: adaptable, accessible, and still distinctly Teen Central.
