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Recess: Adults at Play — brand and campaign imagery

Brand Creation · Creative Direction · Community

Recess:
Adults at Play

When did adults stop making room for play?

I founded Recess as a community-centered brand built around a simple idea: play should not end with childhood. I developed its positioning, name, visual identity, campaigns, and live experiences into a cohesive creative world—one that invites adults to move, connect, and participate without the expectation of productivity.

Role

Founder · Creative Director

Project Type

Self-Initiated Community Brand

Scope

Brand Strategy · Identity · Campaigns · Experiential Creative Direction

Timeline

2023 · Ongoing

COLORS

A black letter R on a light blue background.
Black background with large white letter R in the center
A black letter 'R' on a pink background.
A large, bold, black letter R centered on a light gray background.
The word "RECESS" in large black stylized font on a yellow background.
Children playing in the ocean at sunset with the phrase "We Were Children Once" written in yellow across the middle of the image.

WEBSITE

CAMPAIGN MATERIALS

Image of a promotional poster with the words "Play Date" in large yellow letters, featuring a depiction of two hands reaching towards each other against a cloudy sky background, with additional event details "Mission Bay" and "Friday, May 3rd" in sma
Pair of sneakers hanging from a clothesline against a blue sky, with the times 10.11 and 7PM displayed on either side.
Beach scene with four yellow plastic chairs arranged in a square on sand. Large yellow text above reads 'PLAY DATE'. Smaller text at bottom left indicates the event is on Sunday, June 9th. Bottom right text shows time 2:00PM and location TBA.
An invitation to a play date on Sunday, August 18th at 1:00PM, featuring a person reading a book titled 'FitzGerald' and a person pouring a drink from a bottle labeled 'ORANGE' onto a table with yellow and white striped tablecloth.
An advertisement for a breath work session titled 'Recess Reset', scheduled for June 9th at 4:00 PM, with a background image of a hand holding a yellow flower against a blue sky.
Event flyer for a breathing workshop titled 'Breath Work'. Scheduled for June 9th at 4:00 PM, led by Seya. Focuses on guided breath work to decompress, regulate, and rejuvenate after play to set up for a successful week.

SOCIAL CONTENT

Black and white photo of a woman with unique spiked hairstyle, glasses, and dark lipstick, squatting with one arm extended downward, with motivational text overlay: 'PLAY IS POWER.', 'ART IS DEFIANCE.', 'BE BOTH.'.
A discarded golf club lying on grass with a quote in yellow text over it that reads, "In the pursuit of pleasure, deadlines are merely suggestions."
A pack of coloring crayons in a Marlboro cigarette box with overlaid text about creativity and burnout.
Six colorful chairs in a row, transitioning from white to yellow, red, green, brown, and black, against a plain background with training and informational phrases.
Colorful gradient background with the text 'RECESS ADULTS AT PLAY!' in bold black and white font.
A person lifting a red hula hoop against a blue sky with trees in the background, with yellow text overlay that reads, "Let your inner child out; adults need recess too."
Blurred image of a person with red, blue, and green clothing moving quickly across a yellow background, with black text overlay that reads: 'In a world that begs us to grow up' and 'play is our rebellion.'
A shirtless person with dark skin and curly hair floating against a gray background with yellow text that reads, "PLAY IS... LIBERATION FREEDOM & CREATE TO EXIST WITHOUT BOUNDARIES."
An elderly woman with red hair in curlers, wearing pink sunglasses, smoking a cigarette, dressed in pink satin pajamas, sitting on a sofa with a plant in the background.

Content System

The Playbook

A recurring content series that extended Recess beyond the event itself. Each volume paired imagery, typography, and prompts around everyday play. The system stayed recognizable while the creative direction shifted from volume to volume.

Person wearing Darth Vader mask and pink coat, holding a black cup and newspaper, standing in front of a wall with pink text that says 'PLAY BOOK' and small yellow text that says 'vol.1'. 
VOL 1.
A person holding two lemons in front of their eyes, with the words 'PLAY BOOK' in large blue letters over their forehead and 'vol.2' in small yellow letters at the bottom right corner. 
VOL 3.
A person with a long white beard and traditional Indian clothing balancing on a skateboard against a black background, with large yellow text reading 'PLAY BOOK' and smaller white text 'vol.3'. 
VOL 2.

Outcome

Impact

Recess grew from an idea into a recurring gathering place for adults looking for permission to play again. The brand extended across events, campaigns, photography, social, partnerships, and community programming.

10

Community activations

3

First events sold out

20→400

Social growth in four months

100+

Brand and campaign assets

What the system carried

The same visual and strategic system moved across social content, event promotion, photography, partnerships, and live experiences without losing the central idea. Recess became recognizable not because every output looked the same, but because each one made the same invitation: come play.

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