Design study, Public Safety
Cooling Centers Open
A self-initiated design study: Point people to cooling centers during heat waves and get neighbors to check on older adults nearby.
These are self-initiated studies, not client work. Each is a fictional campaign; none was commissioned by, produced for, or approved by any agency or organization.
The brief
- Line of business
- Public Safety
- Audience
- Older adults, outdoor workers, and families without air conditioning during heat waves.
- Objective
- Point people to cooling centers during heat waves and get neighbors to check on older adults nearby.
- When and where
- Heat wave days | Noon to 8 pm, Libraries and rec centers
Concept A: Knock and Check 12
Turns heat safety into a neighborly act, asking people to look in on the older adult next door. Type style.
Concept B: Find a Cool Room 12
States where to go and when in plain terms, because people at risk need directions, not explanations. Scene style.
Concept C: Literally Cooler 12
Uses a gentle double meaning to make a cooling center visit feel like a choice, not a crisis. Grid style.
Spanish adaptation of Knock and Check 12
The first direction adapted rather than translated: the headline, supporting line, and call to action rewritten in Spanish, with the layout reflowed for the longer text. Type style.
What was checked
Every one of the 48 pieces was checked as it was composed. The lowest text contrast measured anywhere in this study is 4.82 to 1, against a minimum of 4.5 to 1. Type sizes are in the units of each format: pixels for digital formats, and for print, units of the drawing at the sizes shown.
| Format | Minimum type size | Smallest set | Lowest contrast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poster, 18 by 24 inches | 11 | 13.2 | 4.82 to 1 |
| Flyer, letter | 11 | 13.5 | 4.82 to 1 |
| Social story, vertical | 13 | 13.0 | 4.82 to 1 |
| Retractable banner | 10 | 10.0 | 4.82 to 1 |
| Display ad, 160 by 600 | 10 | 10.0 | 4.82 to 1 |
| Social post, square | 13 | 13.2 | 4.82 to 1 |
| Display ad, 300 by 250 | 10 | 10.0 | 4.82 to 1 |
| Postcard, 6 by 4 inches | 13 | 13.2 | 4.82 to 1 |
| Event cover | 12 | 12.0 | 4.82 to 1 |
| Billboard | 12 | 12.0 | 4.82 to 1 |
| Email header | 11 | 11.0 | 4.82 to 1 |
| Display ad, 728 by 90 | 10 | 10.0 | 4.82 to 1 |