Design study, Experiences
Family Day at the Harbor
A self-initiated design study: Bring families to a free day of short boat rides, touch tanks, and hands-on activities at the harbor.
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
- Experiences
- Audience
- Families with young kids, especially those who have never been on a boat or seen the working harbor.
- Objective
- Bring families to a free day of short boat rides, touch tanks, and hands-on activities at the harbor.
- When and where
- Saturday, May 22 | 10 am to 3 pm, Pier 3 and the Harbor Green
Concept A: First Boat Ride 12
Centers the wide-eyed moment of a child's first boat ride, a memory parents want to give. Type style.
Concept B: All of It Free 12
Leads with the fact that matters most to families on a budget, every activity is free, then lists them. Scene style.
Concept C: Easy Bedtime 12
Winks at tired parents with the promise of an early bedtime after a full day outdoors. Grid style.
Spanish adaptation of First Boat Ride 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 6.54 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 | 6.54 to 1 |
| Flyer, letter | 11 | 13.5 | 6.54 to 1 |
| Social story, vertical | 13 | 13.0 | 6.54 to 1 |
| Retractable banner | 10 | 10.0 | 6.54 to 1 |
| Display ad, 160 by 600 | 10 | 10.0 | 6.54 to 1 |
| Social post, square | 13 | 13.2 | 6.54 to 1 |
| Display ad, 300 by 250 | 10 | 10.0 | 6.54 to 1 |
| Postcard, 6 by 4 inches | 13 | 13.2 | 6.54 to 1 |
| Event cover | 12 | 12.0 | 6.54 to 1 |
| Billboard | 12 | 12.0 | 6.54 to 1 |
| Email header | 11 | 11.0 | 6.54 to 1 |
| Display ad, 728 by 90 | 10 | 10.0 | 6.54 to 1 |