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Schenectady Municipal Housing Authority

From a name on a building to a brand the city can stand behind.

SMHA had been building up Schenectady for years. The community only knew the name, and the old labels that came with it.

We gave them an identity rooted in the city itself: a tulip drawn from Schenectady’s Dutch beginnings, with a home at its heart.

Client: Schenectady Municipal Housing Authority
Industry: Housing & community development
Services: Brand identityLogo design
Completed: 2025

A name, but no identity.

People in Schenectady knew the name. They didn’t know everything behind it.

SMHA’s old mark was a set of colored bars and house shapes. It said “housing” and nothing more, so the public filled in the blanks with the labels they already had: “public housing” and “the projects.”

That story was incomplete. SMHA was investing in development all across Schenectady. The community just couldn’t see it.

When your brand doesn’t tell your story, people tell it for you.

In Schenectady, that story was “the projects.” People pictured an agency that managed aging buildings, not one building new homes and stronger neighborhoods.

Every new building and renovation was quietly filed under the same old label, and nothing about the old logo gave anyone a reason to think again.

What are people filling in about you?

Before people would see SMHA differently, SMHA had to look like it belonged to the city, not to a stereotype.

So the brand had one job. Say it clearly: We are Schenectady, and we’re helping build its future.

Four decisions. One clear story.

Every choice in the new identity points back to the city, and to the people SMHA serves.

Rooted in the city’s history

Schenectady was settled by the Dutch in 1661. The tulip nods to that heritage, ties SMHA to the city’s roots, and carries a natural message of growth.

A home at the heart

Look closely: the inner petals form the outline of a house. It’s subtle by design. The tulip leads with community and growth; the house quietly reminds you what SMHA builds.

Warm, confident color

Bright orange and deep navy feel optimistic, approachable and steady. A clean break from the old look, and from the institutional feel people expected.

The city leads the name

“SCHENECTADY” carries the wordmark in bold, with “Municipal Housing Authority” beneath it. The city comes first, not the agency.

Same organization. A different story.

Drag the handle to see what changed.

Built to show up everywhere.

A logo alone doesn’t change minds. A consistent system does: seal, pattern, tagline and color working together on the street, on the desk and on the fridge door.

The mark in motion: from the homes SMHA builds to the tulip.

What changed.

The new identity doesn’t just look better. It gives people a different first impression of SMHA, and a reason to let go of the old one.

“The projects.”Opportunity through housing.
A landlord for aging buildings.A builder of Schenectady’s future.
An agency apart from the city.Part of the city. The name says so first.
A logo that said “housing.”A tulip people recognize, everywhere they see it.

Does your brand show the work you’re really doing?

If people still see you the way they did years ago, your brand may be telling an old story. Every engagement starts with a free consultation, where we look at how you’re seen today and what it would take to change that.