Design study, Community
Waterfront Volunteer Corps
A self-initiated design study: Recruit volunteers for flexible roles, from trail care to event greeting, starting with a short orientation.
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
- Retirees, students, and working adults who want to give back but have only a few hours a month.
- Objective
- Recruit volunteers for flexible roles, from trail care to event greeting, starting with a short orientation.
- When and where
- Thursday, May 6 | 6 to 7:30 pm, Harbor Community Center
Concept A: Love It Out Loud 12
Frames volunteering as belonging, the step from living near the bay to being part of it. Type style.
Concept B: Any Skill Works 12
Shows the range of roles and the flexible scheduling, since time is the main reason people say no. Scene style.
Concept C: Paid in Sunsets 12
Sells volunteer shifts on their best perk, a workplace by the water, with tongue in cheek about the pay. Grid style.
Spanish adaptation of Love It Out Loud 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 8.14 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 | 8.14 to 1 |
| Flyer, letter | 11 | 13.5 | 8.14 to 1 |
| Social story, vertical | 13 | 13.0 | 8.14 to 1 |
| Retractable banner | 10 | 10.0 | 8.14 to 1 |
| Display ad, 160 by 600 | 10 | 10.0 | 8.14 to 1 |
| Social post, square | 13 | 13.2 | 8.14 to 1 |
| Display ad, 300 by 250 | 10 | 10.0 | 8.14 to 1 |
| Postcard, 6 by 4 inches | 13 | 13.2 | 8.14 to 1 |
| Event cover | 12 | 12.0 | 8.14 to 1 |
| Billboard | 12 | 12.0 | 8.14 to 1 |
| Email header | 11 | 11.0 | 8.14 to 1 |
| Display ad, 728 by 90 | 10 | 10.0 | 8.14 to 1 |