Background
Let’s face it, part of the reason CI is such a great place to attend school is because of the location.  Sure, the faculty are amazing (not to mention extremely dedicated and committed), but the weather and the stunning vistas create the perfect atmosphere for the college experience.  Of course there are the nearby beaches, and the actual Channel Islands, but there are also acres of coastal chaparral mountains, canyons, and open space established for public access and enjoyment.

Located right on this campus is a "Therapy Garden," which gives students, faculty, and staff a chance to get outside and blow off some steam. Have you been there?

The CSUCI Therapy Garden is a bit "rough around the edges." Let's just say that it isn't exactly the most "lush" and "welcoming" spot. There are cool things to see, for sure, and you can get a good dose of your daily vitamin D, but the place needs a bit of TLC. Not to mention, students probably don't really spend very much time there.

That's where you come in...

The Basic Project
You will create a brand and identity for the CSUC Therapy Garden, essentially “packaging” it and presenting it in order to generate interest.  This identity package will be multi-faceted, included both printed and "real world signage" elements. 

Questions to Consider
How does a small park like this capture attention?  How can it compete in the media-driven frenzy that rules our lives?  How can this place for contemplation contend with other areas set aside for more “extreme” sports activities?  Can you expand the audience beyond typical nature lovers and family enthusiasts?  How would you get college hipsters from CI out to the park?  How do you brand something immense and timeless like nature itself?  These will be questions you will seek to answer through your concept and designs. 

Part One: The Logo!
Once again, you will start by trying to build an identity for this little park by creating a logo. It can be "type-driven," it can use graphic/pictorial elements, or it can emply any approach you see fit. It should be something dynamic, and "outdoorsy" -- something that someone would want on a t-shirt.

The text for the logo should somehow have the FULL NAME:

"CSUCI Therapy Garden"

For those of you who remember Art 313, you might channel the old "Zoo Project." It's not that you need to create "zoo-style signage," but you should think about how your logo might appear as signage. Perhaps it would be carved into wood? Perhaps it would appear at the entrance to the park?

Part Two: A Sub-Logo!
There is a "trail" that runs through the little therapy garden -- I would like you to NAME this trail, and come up with a sub-logo for the trail. It's a short trail, for sure, but this is kind of a classic component to parks. Sure, now there is just one trail, but there could be more in the future. Think of a name that is fitting -- something that is visual, and will help to solidify the "brand" that you are building for this park.

Part Three: The Packaging
This project will include a few key pieces -- here are the details:

Entrance sign concept, using your logo and whatever materials you think are appropriate, create a concept for the "entrance signage" using Photoshop. If you need photo textures to create your sign, this is the ONLY area of the project where you can borrow images from the web.

Small interpretive/environmental sign, with your branding, fonts, imagery, etc., you will develop a concept for a field-based sign that could be located next to certain plants in order to help visitors understand specific plant species, along with other information you think is important. Multiples of these signs might appear through the park. Think about the materials for these signs, the scale, the size, and what type of information we would learn.

Two DIFFERENT 6 x 9 two-sided promo postcards, highlighting the new look of the Wildwood brand, and building excitement about the park. Should be eye-catching and readable from a distance. The designs will likely be SIMILAR, using branding elements that work across all three designs. They should appear to be part of the same "identity package."The front will help to solidify your brand, and information and details on the back are up to you!

These should be NON-MAILING INFORMATIONAL PROMO postcards, so that means you can use the FULL space of the design. Consider how you might incorporate PHOTOGRAPHY in these designs.

One 11 x 17 two-sided "French Fold" style poster, highlighting the new brand, as well as potential content about the park, animals, wildlife, a trail map, etc. This piece should get people interested in visiting the park. One side of the design will be a promo poster, something suitable for hanging on the wall.

Think about what we might learn in this design -- it could contain diagrams, photos, maps, or other technical information on animals, plants, geology, etc.

Think about how you might help to build an experience THROUGH the design. This is a bold goal -- you need to get us interested in helping save ourselves!

Please follow the specs here (note: making multiple dummies is recommended!)...

A Challenge!
For this project, please use ONLY ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHY! This means, yes, ONLY photos that YOU SHOOT! If you want to SHARE photos with other members of the class, this is fine. Otherwise, all content must be totally original. (Note: if you use someone else's photos from the class, please be sure to give them credit in your design).

Some people will find this to be challenging, but it's less difficult than you think! Just be creative -- you can use illustrations, textures, patterns, and other content to help build the brand.

Additional Ideas/Concept Development
The goal of the project is to get people interested in visiting their small campus "outdoor space". Think about the type of language and imager that you might emply to get people interested.

For instance, think about how the visuals might accompany one of these concepts:

“Your backyard is wilder than you think” (neighborhood vs. nature)
“Go Wild” (let loose, escape boundaries, fun)
“It’s a suburban jungle out there” (adventure, excitement vs. predictability)
“Get Out” (inside vs. outside, desk vs. trail, etc.)
“Hiking shoes were meant for more than concrete” (gear, different uses)
“Nature = Like” (Facebook, pop culture, media)
“Peace.” (clean open layouts, spaciousness)
“There’s a reason they don’t call it the great indoors” (outside vs. inside)
“It's Time to Unplug” (youth audience)
"Be Well" (Therapeutic benefits)

It’s not critical that you have some catchy slogan, but it is important that you can boil down your project to a central concept.  You’re not just presenting pretty pictures, you’re luring people in with intrigue and compelling design – you’re packaging it!

Your real goal is to design imagery that will convince students, staff, and faculty to visit this space. It's a big challenge -- we've got things to do, and places to go... With all of the stresses in our lives, how will you get people to enjoy the simple pleasure of spending quality time in nature???

Deadlines

Today: You guessed it, start doing some research! Build a mood board where you will gather content and ideas.

Next Class: Field trip!!!
That's right... We will head out to the Therapy Garden as a group!

It's pretty tiny -- so it shouldn't take long to soak it all in. You can, of course, go there on your own, and I would encourage that as well.

Monday October 28th: Short presentation -- a few slides, a mood board, and your SOLIDLY RESOLVED logo concepts

Wednesday October 30th: Rough comps for BOTH postcard concepts

Wednesday November 6th: Lightning discussion of poster concepts -- be sure that you have a FULL-SIZED version to share in class

Monday November 13th: Critique!!!

GOOD LUCK!