Project Brief

A world unto itself, New York’s Central Park brims with iconic features and landmarks that make it a beloved urban oasis for residents and visitors alike. In collaboration with John Moore of CentralPark.org, Rafael Esquer set out to recreate in a poster the joyful experience of exploring Central Park down every pathway and around every corner.

The Iconic Central Park Poster© comes in standard one-sheet movie-poster size (27” x 40”) and is for sale only in the Alfalfa Studio Shop.

Approach

More than 2 years in the making, the Iconic Central Park Poster© was carefully researched and composed of more than 2,000 icons. They represent all of the Park’s beloved features, from the Duke Ellington Memorial in Harlem to the USS Maine Memorial at Columbus Circle, and include 75 statues and monuments, 25 bridges, 20 named gates, 8 bodies of water, 4 fountains, 3 bears, 2 ghosts, and 1 plane crash. Waiting to be discovered are many more, including icons of movies, books, songs, performances, events, and personalities associated with Central Park, such as John Lennon, Jackie Onassis, Woody Allen, Simon & Garfunkel, Barbra Streisand, and Meryl Streep. Around the border of the poster, 170 icons labeled by name help viewers identify the Park’s major landmarks and legends.

Outcome

The Iconic Central Park Poster© is printed in a limited edition on premium Italian heavy cardstock with high whiteness for brilliant colors, strong contrast, and fine details. It follows the success of Esquer’s Iconic New York Poster© in 2014 and the deluxe after-dark edition, Iconic New York Illuminated© in 2016, and the Iconic London Poster© in 2018.

Currently on the drawing board at Alfalfa Studio are the next posters in the series: Iconic Tokyo©, Iconic Paris©, and Iconic Mumbai©.