Zoa Martinez, President/Creative Director of ZONA Design, Inc., has created a banner for ‘Design Ignites Change,’ a joint venture of AIGA/New York, Times Square Alliance and Worldstudio Foundation, which have created The Urban Forest Project.

Two hundred banners by designers, artists, photographers and illustrators from around the world will be ‘planted’ in New York Times Square in mid-August. Each will use the form of the tree, or a metaphor for the tree, to make a powerful visual statement, creating a forest of thoughtful visual art in one of the world busiest, most energetic and emphatically urban intersections.

The intent is to bring nature and art to the ‘Crossroads of the World’ which is visited by 30 million people annually and is known mainly for its dazzling commercial signage, with the hope of encouraging passersby to pause, if only for a moment, to be entertained, stimulated or provoked by the work.

Zoa Martinez, in describing her banner, stated, “Coconut palms sway through salty air stirring an energy that ignites my passion, moves my spirit, inspires me to create, and inspire others.”

The 7’s by 3’s banners will eventually be recycled into tote bags to be sold at auction. All proceeds will go to scholarship and mentoring programs that benefit students of the visual arts.

About ZONA Design
ZONA Design, founded in 1999, is an award winning multi-disciplined design agency creating results driven work that is bold and direct for all points of contact with the consumer in the general, Hispanic, and youth markets. The company portfolio includes high profile projects for Disney/ESPN Networks, AOL Time Warner Networks, 5Boro Skateboards, Discovery Communications, Encore Media Group, Rainbow Media Holdings, Chrysler, Dodge, and the various A&E Networks.
ZONA Design, Inc. is headquartered in the Empire State Building, 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 321, New York, NY 10118. For additional information, or to see a reel, contact VP/Executive Producer Dennis Fluet at [email protected] or by phone at 212.244.2900. Visit the ZONA Design web site at www.zonadesign.com. ZONA Design is a certified Minority Woman Business Enterprise from the NYNJ Council (NMSDC) and New York City. ZONA Design is also a 2004 and 2005 Hispanic Trends Magazine Top 100 Entrepreneur.