Project Overview
Climate change is one of the largest environmental issues that we face today. Everything from shifting weather patterns and rising sea levels to habitat loss and climate disasters – environmental consequences have ignited a shift towards international efforts from within the private sector to rethink sustainability wherever possible. This project was a design challenge completed as part of an interview process. The goal of this project was to, through design, call to action and highlight how big of a role the private sector can play when it comes to creating a better future for our planet, growing businesses without growing emissions, causing organizations to lean in to planet-centered policies. This project was done in partnership with Patagonia in order to advocate for climate and clean energy policies at the state and federal levels to address global climate change by setting a science-based greenhouse gas emissions target, and demonstrate thought leadership on how businesses can lead the charge to build a more sustainable future.
Design Process
This project was completed in 3 days. For this design challenge I had to explore a similar design process that mirrors Politico's current review process. Working off of an approved and provided write-up I had to explore the theme of climate change along with private sector leadership in order to find a way to incorporate imagery into the event designs as well as a typographic treatment for the event series title. As part of this project I created designs for a background that would be used on stage at one of the Politico Live events. I also created designs for an invitation/flyer for the event. The design must have the client and POLITICO share a 50/50 co-brand identity on all event assets.
Step 1
After reviewing the guidelines and materials sent to me I began to look at past Politico Live event branding and stage designs for reference.
Step 2
Next, I started gathering and organizing different materials including reports and studies on the link between private sector businesses, federal policies and climate change data.
Step 3
Lastly, I synthesized all the information and materials that I had organized and then began to conduct design exploration and complete drawings, rough drafts, design iterations and final designs over the course of 2-3 days.
My Responsibilities
Design Exploration
Graphic Design
Illustration
Stage Design
Design Challenge:
Creating designs that advocated for climate change solutions and displayed an inclusive called for action and leadership from within the private sector posed a unique set of challenges.
Design Solution:
I chose to illustrate eight different individuals and position them above the tagline “Building Private Sector Leadership”. They are illustrated in such a way that they represent individuals of different gender, background and ethnicity, while their identities and professions are left non-descript and open to interpretation by the viewer. This was done so that anyone can look at any one of these individuals, see themselves, feel welcome, and believe that they too can become a leader on climate change solutions within the private sector.
Design Challenge:
Creating designs that not only called for leadership within the private sector, but also clearly showed that the leadership is needed for issues surrounding climate change posed a unique set of design challenges.
Design Solution:
The title was designed in such a way that the letters spelling out “climate change” are each placed in the center of a uniquely oriented globe in order to immediately draw attention to climate change as the motivation behind the design and event. The globes are treated with an effect to look as if they are fading away in order to represent what lack of solutions and continuing bad practices will do to our planet. This was also done in order do give a bit of depth and separation within the title to match the depth and separation within the illustration style applied to the people. The globes were left in outline form so that the letters within each can still be clearly read as well as to not take away from the illustration’s presence within the design. The logos were placed at the top left and bottom right hand corners in order the give a balance to the overall design while giving each logo its own space to be seen.
Design Challenge:
Translated the invitation/flyer design into stage designs intended to be displayed at Politico Live events posed a few design challenges.
Design Solution:
The same design choices behind the invitation/flyer design are the same ones that went into the stage event design, as my goal was to have it just be an extension of the event design. For the panels that contain the logos, the colors were chosen to provide contrast with the background and to not give one logo any importance over the other. The bars were included for framing purposes and to not leave the panels bare of any design element.
Completed Designs
Stage Design / Black Backdrop
Stage Design / White Backdrop
