Design study, Public Safety
Eyes on the Water
A self-initiated design study: Get caregivers to name one adult to watch kids in the water at all times, with phones put away.
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
- Parents and caregivers at beaches, pools, and splash pads with young children in or near the water.
- Objective
- Get caregivers to name one adult to watch kids in the water at all times, with phones put away.
- When and where
- Every swim, all summer, Beaches, pools, splash pads
Concept A: Quiet and Quick 12
Corrects the movie myth of loud splashing with a calm, sobering truth that makes parents look up. Type style.
Concept B: One Adult Watching 12
Gives families a simple routine: one adult watches the water, then hands off to another before losing focus. Scene style.
Concept C: Group Chat Waits 12
Calls out the scroll habit with humor, since the biggest distraction at the pool is in everyone's hand. Grid style.
Spanish adaptation of Quiet and Quick 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 5.87 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 | 5.87 to 1 |
| Flyer, letter | 11 | 13.5 | 5.87 to 1 |
| Social story, vertical | 13 | 13.0 | 5.87 to 1 |
| Retractable banner | 10 | 10.0 | 5.87 to 1 |
| Display ad, 160 by 600 | 10 | 10.0 | 5.87 to 1 |
| Social post, square | 13 | 13.2 | 5.87 to 1 |
| Display ad, 300 by 250 | 10 | 10.0 | 5.87 to 1 |
| Postcard, 6 by 4 inches | 13 | 13.2 | 5.87 to 1 |
| Event cover | 12 | 12.0 | 5.87 to 1 |
| Billboard | 12 | 12.0 | 5.87 to 1 |
| Email header | 11 | 11.0 | 5.87 to 1 |
| Display ad, 728 by 90 | 10 | 10.0 | 5.87 to 1 |