SPARCS Campaign, Jesse Owens Playground, Brooklyn,
As campaign designers for Jesse Owens Playground, Iris Collaborative developed a participatory engagement activity that invited park users to contribute directly to the visual identity of the campaign. Through a hands-on art-making process, participants experimented with different materials and techniques to create textures inspired by their experiences and interactions with the park.
The resulting artwork became a source of inspiration for the campaign design. Our team curated and transformed elements created by participants into a graphic language that brought together the character of the park, community values, and the creativity of its users. In this way, community participation was not simply an engagement activity, but a direct input into the design of the campaign and how the park would be represented.
Client: 3X3 Design, CUNY
Year: 2026-Ongoing
Evaluating Street Vendor Carts in NYC
Research and community engagement project conducted in partnership with Pratt Institute to explore the feasibility of introducing new cart designs for street vendors across New York City. We engaged vendors through stakeholder interviews, community meetings, and on-street conversations.
Insights gathered through this engagement helped identify opportunities and challenges within existing cart designs and informed the development of more responsive design concepts. The project centered vendors’ lived experience as a critical source of knowledge, connecting research, community input, and design to explore solutions grounded in the realities of street vending.
Client: Pratt Institute
Year: 2023
Washington Heights Housing Research & Planning
Community engagement and planning project focused on understanding housing conditions and neighborhood priorities in Washington Heights, in Northern Manhattan. The work brought together research on housing demand, affordability, public perceptions, and local economic development to better understand how residents and stakeholders experience housing challenges.
Through community-informed research and conversations with local stakeholders, the project identified key concerns, priorities, and opportunities and translated these insights into strategies for more responsive housing policy and neighborhood planning.
Client: CLOTH, Columbia University
Year: 2025
Coney Island Business Improvement District (BID)
Community research and evaluation project supporting the development of the Coney Island Business Improvement District. The project explored local economic development, retail conditions, public perceptions, and the experiences of businesses and other neighborhood stakeholders. Through stakeholder engagement and qualitative research, the work sought to understand how different perspectives shaped perceptions of the district, as well as the opportunities and challenges facing local businesses and the broader community.
Insights gathered through the engagement process were synthesized with broader research findings to identify priorities and opportunities for the BID.
Client: Coney Island BID, Columbia University
Year: 2024
Diversity House Program Evaluation
Community-based program evaluation for a London organization providing educational services to underserved youth. The project centered the experiences of program participants and key stakeholders, using focus groups to create space for young people and those involved in the program to share their perspectives, experiences, and feedback.
We analyzed these conversations alongside other evaluation findings to identify patterns, strengths, and areas for improvement. The findings were synthesized into a final report documenting community perspectives and recommendations to strengthen program effectiveness.
Client: City of London
Year: 2023
Client Relationship Management - Multiple Clients
Iris Collaborative manages ongoing relationships with a range of clients, serving as a trusted partner and consistent point of contact. Our work includes maintaining regular communication, understanding evolving client needs, coordinating priorities and deliverables, and connecting clients with the people and resources needed to move projects forward.
Through this ongoing engagement, we help clients navigate complex conversations, align different stakeholders, address challenges as they emerge, and translate ideas into actionable next steps. The goal is not simply to manage communication, but to build relationships that support collaboration, trust, and successful project outcomes.
Client: Multiple clients
Year: 2026-Ongoing