Design study, Maritime
Marina Slip Waitlist
A self-initiated design study: Get boat owners onto the reopened slip waitlist through a simple form before the April sign-up window closes.
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
- Local boat owners who want a permanent slip and gave up on long, confusing waitlists years ago.
- Objective
- Get boat owners onto the reopened slip waitlist through a simple form before the April sign-up window closes.
- When and where
- Open April 1 to April 30, Marina office or online
Concept A: A Home Port 12
Speaks to the pride of having a home port, a place where your boat belongs instead of a trailer in the driveway. Type style.
Concept B: Clear and Fair 12
Answers frustration with past waitlists by promising one simple list, kept in order, with status you can check. Scene style.
Concept C: The Driveway Boat 12
Pokes fun at the boat that has lived on a trailer for years, a sight every boater and neighbor knows. Grid style.
Spanish adaptation of A Home Port 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 4.53 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 | 4.53 to 1 |
| Flyer, letter | 11 | 13.5 | 4.53 to 1 |
| Social story, vertical | 13 | 13.0 | 4.53 to 1 |
| Retractable banner | 10 | 10.0 | 4.53 to 1 |
| Display ad, 160 by 600 | 10 | 10.0 | 4.53 to 1 |
| Social post, square | 13 | 13.2 | 4.53 to 1 |
| Display ad, 300 by 250 | 10 | 10.0 | 4.53 to 1 |
| Postcard, 6 by 4 inches | 13 | 13.2 | 4.53 to 1 |
| Event cover | 12 | 12.0 | 4.53 to 1 |
| Billboard | 12 | 12.0 | 4.53 to 1 |
| Email header | 11 | 11.0 | 4.53 to 1 |
| Display ad, 728 by 90 | 10 | 10.0 | 4.53 to 1 |