Kingswood Community Center

Environmental Graphics

Kingswood Community Center has served the Riverside neighborhood in Wilmington, Delaware since 1946. Originally established as a whites-only community center for returning World War II veterans, Riverside evolved as white residents moved to suburban areas, leaving behind a community predominantly inhabited by low-income Black residents. Kingswood Community Center became a beacon of support, providing essential social services and a safe space for children to learn and play.

Today, Kingswood continues its mission to uplift Riverside residents, offering a wide range of programs designed to support the predominantly low-income Black community through every stage of life. With the upcoming construction of a new, state-of-the-art facility, Kingswood sought to incorporate environmental graphics that reflect its mission and honor its history. These graphics highlight the community center’s core services—recreation, education, arts, career development, and health—while preserving the legacy of Kingswood through the use of storytelling to build trust and continuity. Through these graphics, Kingswood Community Center reinforces its role as a catalyst for positive change by acknowledging where the community came from as they look toward the future.

Role
Designer

Client
Kingswood Community Center

Agency
Cloud Gehshan Design

Principal
Ian Goldberg

Design Direction
Linzi Eggers Saban

Co-Designer
MJ Carafa

Project Status
Under Construction

Existing Brand Standards & Design Language

Conceptual Strategy

The 5 Pillars color palette representing Kingswood’s core services

The timeline wall's color system informed the piping motif for these exterior panels.

(Graphics: MJ Carafa | Layout & Color Strategy: Me)

Terrazzo Floor Map

Rendering of terrazzo map floor design facing cardinal north

Terrazzo map floor design chosen by client

Detailed drawing of terrazzo map floor

Other terrazzo map floor design options shown to client

Terrazzo map floor development sketches and reference images

Timeline Wall

Rendering of timeline wall

Inspired by transit maps, the timeline wall serves as a visual roadmap where color-coded lines represent the center's core pillars. The system is designed to be scalable, allowing for the integration of more historical data and all five pillars as the community's story continues to be documented.

Detailed drawing of timeline wall. Content and imagery are placeholders designed to demonstrate the system’s layout and capacity for future historical data.

Timeline wall development sketches and reference images

Murals Preserved from the Old Building

Previously on the exterior of the old building, this mural will be reinstalled in the new multipurpose room, preserving the imagery and symbols that the client emphasized as meaningful to the community.

Originally located in the old senior flex room, this mural will be installed in the new senior flex room, maintaining its role as a welcoming and familiar space for older adults.