Design study, Experiences
Harbor Art Walk
A self-initiated design study: Bring new visitors into local studios one evening a month and help artists sell their work.
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
- Art lovers, students, and neighbors who have not yet discovered the working studios near the harbor.
- Objective
- Bring new visitors into local studios one evening a month and help artists sell their work.
- When and where
- Second Fridays | 5 to 9 pm, Warehouse Row studios
Concept A: Meet the Maker 12
Invites people into the studio itself, where a conversation with the artist becomes the real souvenir. Type style.
Concept B: One Easy Loop 12
Gives first-timers a simple loop map with clear stops, so they know where to start, park, and finish. Scene style.
Concept C: The Loud Gallery 12
Contrasts hushed, formal galleries with a loose, social evening where talking and snacking are encouraged. Grid style.
Spanish adaptation of Meet the Maker 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 |