Design study, Maritime
Harbor Jobs Fair
A self-initiated design study: Fill the hall with local job seekers and show that harbor careers are open to people without industry ties.
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
- Maritime
- Audience
- Job seekers, career changers, and recent graduates who live near the harbor.
- Objective
- Fill the hall with local job seekers and show that harbor careers are open to people without industry ties.
- When and where
- Thursday, March 18 | 10 am to 3 pm, Harbor Community Center
Concept A: Your Harbor Is Hiring 12
Speaks to neighbors who see the cranes every day but never pictured themselves working under them. Type style.
Concept B: Jobs With Names 12
Names real job titles in plain type so the opportunity feels concrete and reachable, not abstract. Scene style.
Concept C: Hard Hats Fit 12
Pushes back, with a wink, on the idea that harbor work is something for other people's families. Grid style.
Spanish adaptation of Your Harbor Is Hiring 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 6.59 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 | 6.59 to 1 |
| Flyer, letter | 11 | 13.5 | 6.59 to 1 |
| Social story, vertical | 13 | 13.0 | 6.59 to 1 |
| Retractable banner | 10 | 10.0 | 6.59 to 1 |
| Display ad, 160 by 600 | 10 | 10.0 | 6.59 to 1 |
| Social post, square | 13 | 13.2 | 6.59 to 1 |
| Display ad, 300 by 250 | 10 | 10.0 | 6.59 to 1 |
| Postcard, 6 by 4 inches | 13 | 13.2 | 6.59 to 1 |
| Event cover | 12 | 12.0 | 6.59 to 1 |
| Billboard | 12 | 12.0 | 6.59 to 1 |
| Email header | 11 | 11.0 | 6.59 to 1 |
| Display ad, 728 by 90 | 10 | 10.0 | 6.59 to 1 |