Design study, Maritime
Harbor Stories Project
A self-initiated design study: Record stories and scan photos from harbor families before they are lost, for a free public archive.
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
- Longtime residents and families with roots in fishing, canneries, shipyards, and the docks.
- Objective
- Record stories and scan photos from harbor families before they are lost, for a free public archive.
- When and where
- Sundays in October | 1 to 4 pm, Harbor Library
Concept A: Kitchen Table Stories 12
Starts from the stories every harbor family tells at the kitchen table, and asks them to share one for the record. Type style.
Concept B: Bring the Shoebox 12
Gives people a concrete, easy action: bring the box of old photos, and staff will scan them while you wait. Scene style.
Concept C: Missing From the Books 12
Positions family memories as the real history, the parts that never made it into official records. Grid style.
Spanish adaptation of Kitchen Table Stories 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 |