One Congress
Project Overview
One Congress is a 43-story, one-million-square-foot office tower in downtown Boston, designed by internationally renowned firms Pelli Clarke & Partners and CBT Architects. Rising 600 feet above the city, it stands as one of Boston's most significant new additions to the skyline.
One Congress was also Carr Properties' first project in Boston — the company's breakthrough beyond a D.C. portfolio long shaped by the city's 130-foot height limit. The brand identity had to do double duty: carry Carr's north star, The Carr Experience, into a brand-new market, while standing on its own as the most visually impactful presence in a skyline full of landmark architecture. I led the creative direction for the full brand ecosystem built to meet that bar — identity, marketing materials, and digital platforms — in service of the building's launch and leasing.
My Role
I led the creative direction for One Congress from the ground up, translating Carr's national brand strategy into a market-specific identity strong enough to compete with Boston's most prominent architecture, while staying true to The Carr Experience as the connective thread back to the parent brand.
Creative Approach
The identity had to reflect three things at once: the building's architectural scale and clarity, its physical location in Boston's skyline, and the caliber of amenities Carr was promising — all filtered through the same customer-first philosophy established by The Carr Experience. I directed the visual system to project a modern, confident presence capable of standing next to Pelli Clarke & Partners and CBT Architects' design work, not just describing it.
Key Deliverables
Brand identity system and logo suite
Brand guidelines
Marketing website
Promotional video
Leasing Brochure
HTML email templates
Request for Proposal (RFP) materials
Logo
The One Congress identity was developed in collaboration with Paris-based designer Alizée Freudenthal. I directed the creative development of the identity — from early ideation and concept exploration through final refinement — ensuring the system supported the building's positioning and translated effectively across applications.
The final identity system included:
Primary logotype
“C” mark
Multiple logo lockups for flexible usage across media
Website
The project website was developed in partnership with Neoscape, a creative agency specializing in real estate branding and visual storytelling.
I led the creative direction throughout the process, guiding development of:
site architecture and wireframes
visual design and content structure
interactive prototypes
desktop and mobile development reviews
testing and launch
The final site presents the building's architectural vision, amenities, and leasing opportunities through an immersive digital experience.
Video
A promotional video was produced to showcase the building's design, location, and impact on Boston's skyline.
I directed the creative process with Neoscape from concept development and treatment through animatics, rough cuts, and final production, ensuring the narrative and visual tone aligned with the broader brand system.
Brochure
A comprehensive leasing brochure was developed to communicate the building's key features and customer opportunities.
The publication combines architectural photography, refined typography, and clear information hierarchy to present the project's amenities, design features, and market positioning.
RFP Materials
Request for Proposal (RFP) materials were developed to support project communication and contractor engagement, ensuring the visual identity remained consistent across formal project documentation.
Email Templates
Email templates were developed to support broker and prospective customer communications. The templates extend the visual identity established for the project, ensuring consistent branding across digital outreach while allowing flexible content updates for leasing announcements and project updates.
Project Impact
The brand system proved itself well before the building ever opened its doors: One Congress was 90% pre-leased before construction was complete, and reached full occupancy shortly after opening — direct evidence that the identity and marketing system supported real leasing momentum, not just visual polish.
The tower's roster of customers reflects that momentum: State Street Corporation made One Congress its new global headquarters, relocating its landmark signage from its previous downtown home, alongside law firm K&L Gates and technology company InterSystems. As Carr's first Boston project, One Congress became the proof point for the company's expansion beyond D.C. — establishing that the Carr Experience could travel into a new market and hold its own against the city's most prominent architecture and best-known developers.