Design study, Community
Small Business Help Desk
A self-initiated design study: Get small business owners to book free one-on-one advising and leave with a clear next step.
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
- Community
- Audience
- Owners of small shops, restaurants, and startups who need help with permits, leases, or growth.
- Objective
- Get small business owners to book free one-on-one advising and leave with a clear next step.
- When and where
- Weekdays by appointment, Harbor Library, second floor
Concept A: Keep the Lights On 12
Honors the owners who keep the waterfront's lights on and offers help as a thank you, not a handout. Type style.
Concept B: One Desk 12
Promises one place to get straight answers on permits, licenses, and loans, instead of a maze of offices. Scene style.
Concept C: Paperwork Rescue 12
Sympathizes with the owner buried in forms and throws a lifeline with a smile. Grid style.
Spanish adaptation of Keep the Lights On 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 6.19 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 | 6.19 to 1 |
| Flyer, letter | 11 | 13.5 | 6.19 to 1 |
| Social story, vertical | 13 | 13.0 | 6.19 to 1 |
| Retractable banner | 10 | 10.0 | 6.19 to 1 |
| Display ad, 160 by 600 | 10 | 10.0 | 6.19 to 1 |
| Social post, square | 13 | 13.2 | 6.19 to 1 |
| Display ad, 300 by 250 | 10 | 10.0 | 6.19 to 1 |
| Postcard, 6 by 4 inches | 13 | 13.2 | 6.19 to 1 |
| Event cover | 12 | 12.0 | 6.19 to 1 |
| Billboard | 12 | 12.0 | 6.19 to 1 |
| Email header | 11 | 11.0 | 6.19 to 1 |
| Display ad, 728 by 90 | 10 | 10.0 | 6.19 to 1 |