Contact: Sarah Haun
Two Twelve Associates
902 Broadway
New York, NY 10010
212 254 6670
shaun@twotwelve.com

NAT'S KIDS GET A HOME RUN WITH IDENTITY DESIGN BY TWO TWELVE
Two Twelve Associates take on pro bono project for a kids' education program launched by the Police Athletic League and the Brooklyn Cyclones

New York, NY, 9 July 2002—Two Twelve Associates (http://www.twotwelve.com), a leading strategic design firm that specializes in signage and wayfinding, digital media, branding and print communications, announces the season opening of its identity design for the Neighborhood All-Star Team ("NAT's Kids"), a year round program to mentor and support children in local communities run by New York's Police Athletic League (PAL) and sponsored by the Brooklyn Cyclones, and four other corporations.

This week, summer camp sessions begin on Coney Island for the 360 NAT's Kids participating in the year-round program created to mentor and support children in local New York City communities. They will be wearing Neighborhood All-Star Team T-shirts and caps emblazoned with a big league-style logo courtesy of Two Twelve.

"This project is just as important as our public information programs for KeySpan Park or Shea Stadium," says Two Twelve principal Ann Harakawa, referring to other assignments the firm has produced for its client Fred Wilpon, CEO of the Brooklyn Cyclones, owner of the New York Mets and patron of NAT's Kids. "The professional treatment of the NAT's Kids identity says, 'Take us seriously.' It helps give the children visibility and recognition in the community, which is what the program is all about."

NAT's Kids is the dream of Mr. Wilpon and is named after his father, Nathan, who was very active in Brooklyn throughout his life. Two Twelve created the "NAT" logo design to honor the senior Mr. Wilpon, and invented the name "Neighborhood All-Star Team" to clarify the organization's identity.

"The biggest design challenge was to combine the powerful sentiments driving the program with the need for clear brand communication," says Brian Sisco, a designer and associate with Two Twelve. Form and function work together in the final logo design, with the 'A' letterform rendered as a star and bracketed by the 'N' and 'T' in the style of traditional varsity sport letters. In a color palette of ballfield green, sky blue and sunny yellow, the logotype appears within a round emblem or stands alone.

Two Twelve has created the designs for the logo, banners, pennants and other brand applications pro bono. The identity first appeared in public at a press conference on June 19, 2002 where Mr. Wilpon, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, talk-show host Larry King, and other civic and business leaders introduced the program at KeySpan Park on Coney Island.

Two Twelve Associates (http://www.twotwelve.com) is a multidisciplinary design company specializing in the planning and presentation of complex information to diverse audiences. David Gibson founded Two Twelve in 1980, and he and his partner Ann Harakawa presently run the firm's New York-based operation, including its subsidiary Two Twelve Harakawa. Two Twelve offers a full range of services in print, interactive and environmental graphic design for corporate, institutional and municipal clients nationwide. Important commissions have included the design of the Census 2000 forms and canvassing materials; environmental graphics, bid publications and marketing materials for New York City's bid for the 2012 Olympic Games; signage for Radio City Music Hall and Grand Central Terminal in New York City; environmental graphics and wayfinding for the American Airlines Center Arena in Dallas; and annual catalogues and a new Web site for The Leigh Bureau, one of the nation's leading speakers bureaus.

The Neighborhood All-Star Team (NAT's Kids) provides young people the opportunity to reach their full potential through recreational, cultural, and educational activities. These activities offer local children exposure to new environments and new experiences. Extensive mentoring throughout and beyond the participants' middle-school years serve as the keystone element of this ongoing program of personal development and growth. Through NAT's Kids, the Police Athletic League (PAL) and the New York corporate community have committed to creating an ongoing, year-round program to mentor and support children in local communities. In the summer of 2002, NAT's Kids has launched its initial program in Coney Island, three two-week summer camp sessions, under the direction of PAL and the sponsorship of the Brooklyn Cyclones, Independence Community Bank, JP Morgan Chase, KeySpan Corporation and Verizon.

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