Open Design Project: Touching the Heart
I'm tired of self-focused design competitions, awards and annuals. Who really cares anyway? Sure it's nice to be recognized by your peers for your work, but are designers really this insecure that we need awards to make us feel our work is worthwhile? This year, instead of entering the latest and greatest competition, I'd like to propose that we collectively focus that time on a project where design can touch someone's heart. Then we'd like to hear about it. We'll post what your doing on B L A N K to encourage others. There are no ground rules and no entry fees, just send us what your doing that you think touches the heart. It can be something you've been working on or something you wish to start. Send your Design that Touches the Heart entry to B L A N K at frank@b-l-a-n-k.com and we'll post it.
Here's our Design That Touches the Heart entry. We're helping the Crossville Skatepark Association build a safe, clean, world-class skatepark for the youth in our community. Thus far we've developed an identity package, websites, petitions, posters, presentation slides and t-shirts to support their effort. And it seems to be working. The City Council has put the development of a skatepark on their city goals for 2005, and the Mayor has spoken about the effort in the press. Most importantly, the skaters in our area are excited someone actually cares about them. These skaters wear eclectic clothing, have funky hair and don't seem to have much else to do but grind sidewalks or jump the stairs of local businesses. They look strange and defiant and outwardly unlike the youth you find on baseball, basketball or soccer teams. From surveys we know that art & music are their favorite subjects. They are highly creative, intelligent and entrepreneurial individuals. They are devoted to their sport—practicing year around for hours on end. Yet due to their creative, artistic entrepreneurial gifts, they don't always fit into a highly structured organizational environment like school or traditional team sports (surprise!). Where they do fit in is skateboarding—a sport that encourages creativity, self determination and community. And hopefully they'll soon have a place to practice their sport.
Send your Design that Touches the Heart entry to us and say no to silly design awards. Everyone wins.
Here's our Design That Touches the Heart entry. We're helping the Crossville Skatepark Association build a safe, clean, world-class skatepark for the youth in our community. Thus far we've developed an identity package, websites, petitions, posters, presentation slides and t-shirts to support their effort. And it seems to be working. The City Council has put the development of a skatepark on their city goals for 2005, and the Mayor has spoken about the effort in the press. Most importantly, the skaters in our area are excited someone actually cares about them. These skaters wear eclectic clothing, have funky hair and don't seem to have much else to do but grind sidewalks or jump the stairs of local businesses. They look strange and defiant and outwardly unlike the youth you find on baseball, basketball or soccer teams. From surveys we know that art & music are their favorite subjects. They are highly creative, intelligent and entrepreneurial individuals. They are devoted to their sport—practicing year around for hours on end. Yet due to their creative, artistic entrepreneurial gifts, they don't always fit into a highly structured organizational environment like school or traditional team sports (surprise!). Where they do fit in is skateboarding—a sport that encourages creativity, self determination and community. And hopefully they'll soon have a place to practice their sport.
Send your Design that Touches the Heart entry to us and say no to silly design awards. Everyone wins.
posted by fivemcclungs at 10:16 AM
5 Comments:
Not to throw cold water on your skate park identity, but sensitive audiences may misconstrue the logo for this one:
http://klanstore.com/store/images/celtic%20cross.jpg
I’m not overly sensitive, but I drew the connection to the cross the Klan displays immediately.
Thanks for pointing this out. I think we've reached logo saturation in our culture. We've never seen a Klan logo like the one you reference and we live in Tennessee. The logo was designed for simplicity to reflect the skaters/bikers/bladers (the outer circle representing the wheels) and the cross to represent Crossville (plus the added benefit of it looking like the spokes of a wheel). The logo looks great in hot pink on a black sweatshirt too! Don't think the Klan would go for that. Their logo is actually a Celtic cross inside a thin circle with the edges extending beyond. I'm going to let the Skatepark Association know and have them decide. I think there is enough variation to for separation.
This brings up an interesting point though: If a symbol (like the Celtic cross or just the cross in general) has been used for both good and evil, do you avoid using it altogether? What do you think? What factors should influence your decision? What are your thoughts?
Symbols are very powerful and can often evoke strong emotion. When I am working on a symbol or logo I often check symbols.com. I looked up your symbol and came up with this:
http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/26/2611.html
“This sign has also been used as an anti-Semitic symbol.” This part of the description would worry me as a designer. It may be worth emailing your logo to a few Rabbi to get their take on it. The symbol may not be that well known – in that context.
As for decision factors, I think that you need to find out how people react to this symbol. Will only the grandparents of Jewish kids object to the T shirts? Maybe a 45º rotation would change the context. The swastika was once a good symbol before Hitler, but I don’t think I would want that rebranding challenge.
Best of luck!
Editor's Note: Shawn is the VP of Strategic Communications for the Mississippi Hospitals Association and sent us his project below. As someone who doesn't currently have health care coverage, I can really appreciate how he's touching the heart through design.Thanks Shawn!
I designed flyers for Cover Mississippi to alert Medicaid patients to changes in the program that could affect their health care coverage. Now, the group is using the “Face Facts” communications campaign I created for all kinds of different messages.
I also designed the Web site for the coalition at covermississippi.com.
And, hey, I did have to bend on the design a little bit. (All of the New! Symbols definitely eren’t my idea.) But at the end of the day, something I designed might keep health care coverage for someone’s child. That’s much more important than my design vision!
I goofed. Shawn is a female, not a male designer (see above post). Sorry Shawn. Won't happen again.
Post a Comment
<< Home