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Learn more about one of the winning studios for Trucks of Art!

Thought Matter is an independent New York City design and creative studio!The studio received the 2026 National Design Award for Communication Design from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, recognizing a decade of collaborative work shaped by imagination and public engagement. Thought Matter works across culture, commerce, and civic life, partnering with organizations such as the Times Square Alliance, Street Vendor Project, and 100 Gates Project to create work that influences how people experience and move through the city.

“Thought Matter designed CARE IN MOTION to honor the DSNY workforce by making their labor visible and reframing routine street encounters as moments of mutual respect and civic engagement,” the Thought Matter team said of their truck design. "Informed by New York City’s visual systems, where bold color, striping, and all-caps lettering signal action, the truck uses New Yorkers’ no-nonsense style of language to communicate directly with the public. Thought Matter’s design makes care visible and shared. Rather than offering symbolic praise, the design operates in real time by acknowledging sanitation workers’ presence while inviting patience, awareness, and shared responsibility from drivers, pedestrians, and onlookers.”

The truck Thought Matter painted will serve Manhattan Community District 12.

We’re hitting NYC streets with CARE IN MOTION.

Earlier this year, we were selected as one of five winners of the NYC Department of Sanitation’s Trucks of Art challenge, chosen from more than 400 applicants. It was an opportunity to transform a working sanitation truck into a moving piece of public art.

Designed and painted by our studio, CARE IN MOTION honors the DSNY workforce by making visible the labor that keeps New York City moving every single day.

Today’s unveiling in Union Square Plaza coincides with another major milestone for our studio. Tonight, we’ll attend the 2026 National Design Awards Gala at the @cooperhewitt, where we’ll be awarded the 2026 National Design Award for Communication Design.

Thank you to @nycsanitation, @sanitationfoundation, Commissioner Anderson, @dmjuliakerson and everyone who helped bring this project to life.

Stop by Union Square Plaza anytime until 5pm today to see our truck in person.

We’re hitting NYC streets with CARE IN MOTION.

Earlier this year, we were selected as one of five winners of the NYC Department of Sanitation’s Trucks of Art challenge, chosen from more than 400 applicants. It was an opportunity to transform a working sanitation truck into a moving piece of public art.

Designed and painted by our studio, CARE IN MOTION honors the DSNY workforce by making visible the labor that keeps New York City moving every single day.

Today’s unveiling in Union Square Plaza coincides with another major milestone for our studio. Tonight, we’ll attend the 2026 National Design Awards Gala at the @cooperhewitt, where we’ll be awarded the 2026 National Design Award for Communication Design.

Thank you to @nycsanitation, @sanitationfoundation, Commissioner Anderson, @dmjuliakerson and everyone who helped bring this project to life.

Stop by Union Square Plaza anytime until 5pm today to see our truck in person.

Our latest public art project will be unveiled at Union Square Plaza on Tuesday, May 19, from 9am – 5pm. Join us just before 11am for remarks to the press. It will be a very NYC moment.

Thought Matter invites you to leave your apartment, ignore your screen time report, and briefly interact with other human beings.

Good Neighbor: Terms & Conditions is an open studio party about the weird systems shaping how we connect, avoid, watch, support, mute, scroll past, and occasionally acknowledge each other.

Come by for drinks, music, and questions about what it means to be a good neighbor now.

Link in bio.

Good Neighbor: Terms & Conditions
Thought Matter
19 West 24th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10010
Thursday, May 14, 6 PM — 9 PM

Tell your friends. Tell your neighbors. We’re opening our doors once again to party with y’all for NYCxDESIGN Festival.

Whether you come for the party or the unexpected, you won’t leave disappointed. Open bar, live DJ, surprises we won’t spoil, and a few hundred of your future neighbors.

Good Neighbor: Terms & Conditions — May 14, 6–9PM. You don’t want to miss this one. Link in bio.

Come party with us.

Thursday, May 14, Thought Matter is turning our studio into a night of drinks, music, and surprises we won’t yet reveal. Explore with us what it means to be a good neighbor.

Link in bio.

“Design Connects Us” is this year’s @nycxdesign Festival theme. We have questions about that.

The terms of connection are designed. How we show up for one another is what connects us. That’s why we’re opening our studio on Thursday, May 14 for a night of music, conversation, and a few drinks with our neighbors — the ones down the street and the ones in our feeds.

Bring your friends.
RSVP link in bio.

Good Neighbor: Terms & Conditions
Thought Matter
19 West 24th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10010
Thursday, May 14 6 PM — 9 PM

“Design Connects Us” is this year’s @nycxdesign Festival theme. We have questions about that.

The terms of connection are designed. How we show up for one another is what connects us. That’s why we’re opening our studio on Thursday, May 14 for a night of music, conversation, and a few drinks with our neighbors — the ones down the street and the ones in our feeds.

Bring your friends.
RSVP link in bio.

Good Neighbor: Terms & Conditions
Thought Matter
19 West 24th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10010
Thursday, May 14 6 PM — 9 PM

“Design Connects Us” is this year’s @nycxdesign Festival theme. We have questions about that.

The terms of connection are designed. How we show up for one another is what connects us. That’s why we’re opening our studio on Thursday, May 14 for a night of music, conversation, and a few drinks with our neighbors — the ones down the street and the ones in our feeds.

Bring your friends.
RSVP link in bio.

Good Neighbor: Terms & Conditions
Thought Matter
19 West 24th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10010
Thursday, May 14 6 PM — 9 PM

Port Richmond Avenue (@togetheronport) has a new identity. Evelin Caballero Omaña is the force behind it.

The identity was developed through the @van_alen District Design Fellowship with @lacolmenanyc, alongside @thisis_org and our team at Thought Matter.

Small businesses are the backbone of New York. This identity is designed to support them, giving the corridor a shared language that builds visibility, pride, and foot traffic.

At the center is a butterfly, a symbol of migration and resilience and a reflection of the immigrant communities behind these storefronts. We’re proud to be part of bringing it to life.

More soon.

Port Richmond Avenue (@togetheronport) has a new identity. Evelin Caballero Omaña is the force behind it.

The identity was developed through the @van_alen District Design Fellowship with @lacolmenanyc, alongside @thisis_org and our team at Thought Matter.

Small businesses are the backbone of New York. This identity is designed to support them, giving the corridor a shared language that builds visibility, pride, and foot traffic.

At the center is a butterfly, a symbol of migration and resilience and a reflection of the immigrant communities behind these storefronts. We’re proud to be part of bringing it to life.

More soon.

Port Richmond Avenue (@togetheronport) has a new identity. Evelin Caballero Omaña is the force behind it.

The identity was developed through the @van_alen District Design Fellowship with @lacolmenanyc, alongside @thisis_org and our team at Thought Matter.

Small businesses are the backbone of New York. This identity is designed to support them, giving the corridor a shared language that builds visibility, pride, and foot traffic.

At the center is a butterfly, a symbol of migration and resilience and a reflection of the immigrant communities behind these storefronts. We’re proud to be part of bringing it to life.

More soon.

Port Richmond Avenue (@togetheronport) has a new identity. Evelin Caballero Omaña is the force behind it.

The identity was developed through the @van_alen District Design Fellowship with @lacolmenanyc, alongside @thisis_org and our team at Thought Matter.

Small businesses are the backbone of New York. This identity is designed to support them, giving the corridor a shared language that builds visibility, pride, and foot traffic.

At the center is a butterfly, a symbol of migration and resilience and a reflection of the immigrant communities behind these storefronts. We’re proud to be part of bringing it to life.

More soon.

On May 14, join us for our annual @nycxdesign Festival event: 

Good Neighbor: Terms & Conditions

What does it mean to be a neighbor right now, to connect or to keep your distance? We’re looking at the systems shaping how we live next to each other: some visible, some not. It will be a night of connection, isolation, and everything in between.

Watch out for your neighbor.

Register today. Link in bio.

This year, we were awarded the @cooperhewitt National Design Award for Communication Design. It’s an honor that reflects a decade-long, wide-ranging body of work, including partnerships with BIDs, Chambers of Commerce, and place-based nonprofits to help communities show up and feel seen.

From brand identities for @lowereastnyc’s @100gatesproject and @downtownsinyc, to campaigns for @licqns and @visitstatenisland to serving as agency of record for the @timessquarenyc and @unionsquareny, our work spans identity, activation, programs, events, and the everyday touch points that bring places to life.

Included in this work is Chinatown Studio — @thinkchinatown’s intergenerational space — where we developed an identity rooted in preserving and evolving neighborhood heritage.

What connects all of this work is a deep belief that strong, thoughtful, community-relevant design is a key driver of economic vitality, cultural expression, and civic pride.

This year, we were awarded the @cooperhewitt National Design Award for Communication Design. It’s an honor that reflects a decade-long, wide-ranging body of work, including partnerships with BIDs, Chambers of Commerce, and place-based nonprofits to help communities show up and feel seen.

From brand identities for @lowereastnyc’s @100gatesproject and @downtownsinyc, to campaigns for @licqns and @visitstatenisland to serving as agency of record for the @timessquarenyc and @unionsquareny, our work spans identity, activation, programs, events, and the everyday touch points that bring places to life.

Included in this work is Chinatown Studio — @thinkchinatown’s intergenerational space — where we developed an identity rooted in preserving and evolving neighborhood heritage.

What connects all of this work is a deep belief that strong, thoughtful, community-relevant design is a key driver of economic vitality, cultural expression, and civic pride.

This year, we were awarded the @cooperhewitt National Design Award for Communication Design. It’s an honor that reflects a decade-long, wide-ranging body of work, including partnerships with BIDs, Chambers of Commerce, and place-based nonprofits to help communities show up and feel seen.

From brand identities for @lowereastnyc’s @100gatesproject and @downtownsinyc, to campaigns for @licqns and @visitstatenisland to serving as agency of record for the @timessquarenyc and @unionsquareny, our work spans identity, activation, programs, events, and the everyday touch points that bring places to life.

Included in this work is Chinatown Studio — @thinkchinatown’s intergenerational space — where we developed an identity rooted in preserving and evolving neighborhood heritage.

What connects all of this work is a deep belief that strong, thoughtful, community-relevant design is a key driver of economic vitality, cultural expression, and civic pride.

This year, we were awarded the @cooperhewitt National Design Award for Communication Design. It’s an honor that reflects a decade-long, wide-ranging body of work, including partnerships with BIDs, Chambers of Commerce, and place-based nonprofits to help communities show up and feel seen.

From brand identities for @lowereastnyc’s @100gatesproject and @downtownsinyc, to campaigns for @licqns and @visitstatenisland to serving as agency of record for the @timessquarenyc and @unionsquareny, our work spans identity, activation, programs, events, and the everyday touch points that bring places to life.

Included in this work is Chinatown Studio — @thinkchinatown’s intergenerational space — where we developed an identity rooted in preserving and evolving neighborhood heritage.

What connects all of this work is a deep belief that strong, thoughtful, community-relevant design is a key driver of economic vitality, cultural expression, and civic pride.

This year, we were awarded the @cooperhewitt National Design Award for Communication Design. It’s an honor that reflects a decade-long, wide-ranging body of work, including partnerships with BIDs, Chambers of Commerce, and place-based nonprofits to help communities show up and feel seen.

From brand identities for @lowereastnyc’s @100gatesproject and @downtownsinyc, to campaigns for @licqns and @visitstatenisland to serving as agency of record for the @timessquarenyc and @unionsquareny, our work spans identity, activation, programs, events, and the everyday touch points that bring places to life.

Included in this work is Chinatown Studio — @thinkchinatown’s intergenerational space — where we developed an identity rooted in preserving and evolving neighborhood heritage.

What connects all of this work is a deep belief that strong, thoughtful, community-relevant design is a key driver of economic vitality, cultural expression, and civic pride.

This year, we were awarded the @cooperhewitt National Design Award for Communication Design. It’s an honor that reflects a decade-long, wide-ranging body of work, including partnerships with BIDs, Chambers of Commerce, and place-based nonprofits to help communities show up and feel seen.

From brand identities for @lowereastnyc’s @100gatesproject and @downtownsinyc, to campaigns for @licqns and @visitstatenisland to serving as agency of record for the @timessquarenyc and @unionsquareny, our work spans identity, activation, programs, events, and the everyday touch points that bring places to life.

Included in this work is Chinatown Studio — @thinkchinatown’s intergenerational space — where we developed an identity rooted in preserving and evolving neighborhood heritage.

What connects all of this work is a deep belief that strong, thoughtful, community-relevant design is a key driver of economic vitality, cultural expression, and civic pride.

This year, we were awarded the @cooperhewitt National Design Award for Communication Design. It’s an honor that reflects a decade-long, wide-ranging body of work, including partnerships with BIDs, Chambers of Commerce, and place-based nonprofits to help communities show up and feel seen.

From brand identities for @lowereastnyc’s @100gatesproject and @downtownsinyc, to campaigns for @licqns and @visitstatenisland to serving as agency of record for the @timessquarenyc and @unionsquareny, our work spans identity, activation, programs, events, and the everyday touch points that bring places to life.

Included in this work is Chinatown Studio — @thinkchinatown’s intergenerational space — where we developed an identity rooted in preserving and evolving neighborhood heritage.

What connects all of this work is a deep belief that strong, thoughtful, community-relevant design is a key driver of economic vitality, cultural expression, and civic pride.

This year, we were awarded the @cooperhewitt National Design Award for Communication Design. It’s an honor that reflects a decade-long, wide-ranging body of work, including partnerships with BIDs, Chambers of Commerce, and place-based nonprofits to help communities show up and feel seen.

From brand identities for @lowereastnyc’s @100gatesproject and @downtownsinyc, to campaigns for @licqns and @visitstatenisland to serving as agency of record for the @timessquarenyc and @unionsquareny, our work spans identity, activation, programs, events, and the everyday touch points that bring places to life.

Included in this work is Chinatown Studio — @thinkchinatown’s intergenerational space — where we developed an identity rooted in preserving and evolving neighborhood heritage.

What connects all of this work is a deep belief that strong, thoughtful, community-relevant design is a key driver of economic vitality, cultural expression, and civic pride.

A decade of building, questioning, and reimagining what a creative studio can be.

@jessiejmcguire, our Managing Partner, joins the @creativeboom podcast to reflect on Thought Matter’s journey, and why imagination isn’t just a spark, but also a tool. One that shapes culture, shifts behavior, and challenges power, even when it requires pushing through discomfort.

Listen via the link in bio.

You are being watched. By design.

As more of daily life is mediated through tools that track, guide, and influence behavior, surveillance doesn’t just operate in the background. It’s something we experience everyday.

This Friday, we’re sharing Seen / Unseen at @prattinstitute’s Research Open House, part of an ongoing body of work examining how communication design shapes surveillance, safety, and trust.

Developed alongside our Ascenders (emerging designers from Pratt Institute and FIT) this work reflects how we think about practice, education, and shared authorship.

If design has a civic role, this is one place it shows up.

April 17 · 1–5 PM
Pratt Institute Research Yard, Brooklyn Navy Yard

Free and open to the public.

You are being watched. By design.

As more of daily life is mediated through tools that track, guide, and influence behavior, surveillance doesn’t just operate in the background. It’s something we experience everyday.

This Friday, we’re sharing Seen / Unseen at @prattinstitute’s Research Open House, part of an ongoing body of work examining how communication design shapes surveillance, safety, and trust.

Developed alongside our Ascenders (emerging designers from Pratt Institute and FIT) this work reflects how we think about practice, education, and shared authorship.

If design has a civic role, this is one place it shows up.

April 17 · 1–5 PM
Pratt Institute Research Yard, Brooklyn Navy Yard

Free and open to the public.

You are being watched. By design.

As more of daily life is mediated through tools that track, guide, and influence behavior, surveillance doesn’t just operate in the background. It’s something we experience everyday.

This Friday, we’re sharing Seen / Unseen at @prattinstitute’s Research Open House, part of an ongoing body of work examining how communication design shapes surveillance, safety, and trust.

Developed alongside our Ascenders (emerging designers from Pratt Institute and FIT) this work reflects how we think about practice, education, and shared authorship.

If design has a civic role, this is one place it shows up.

April 17 · 1–5 PM
Pratt Institute Research Yard, Brooklyn Navy Yard

Free and open to the public.