Along Manhattan’s west side lies one of the richest concentrations of cultural institutions in the world. From museums and performance spaces to parks and artist communities, the West Side Cultural Network (WSCN) brings together 18 landmark organizations, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Joyce Theater, The High Line, The Shed, Hudson River Park, The Kitchen, and the NYC AIDS Memorial.

In 2023, WSCN came together to launch the inaugural West Side Fest: a free, day-long celebration designed to showcase the vitality, creativity, and community spirit of the west side’s cultural corridor.COLLINS collaborated with WSCN to bring this event to life. We aimed to create a unifying identity for a network of vastly different institutions—each with its own voice, audience, and legacy—while amplifying their shared mission of public engagement.Working closely with WSCN leaders, we developed a bold, vibrant visual and verbal identity system that could flex across institutions and formats. The system needed to feel both distinct and inclusive—able to carry everything from kids’ programming and contemporary dance to Himalayan art and LGBTQ+ community storytelling