node: communication charette

For our 7th and final charette of these past few weeks, we focused on communication, advertising, and connecting with people. We want to tell people what we're doing in our studio class this year. We researched guerilla advertising techniques, and created some proposals for our own forms of advertising.

First focusing on people as an outlet, we came up with a "blank canvas" on which anyone could write, paint, draw, tear, etc. (much like UNCG's rock). With this interactive outlet of advertising, we would display how anyone can change the "community" with the smallest effort, which is something our studio wishes to accomplish. Changing the community for the better by changing it one step at a time. This idea is illustrated below, by Brianna.




We then focused on places as an outlet. We formulated this idea of a large red square that would catch people's attention, placed all around the city at different locations. Each week, we would add a little something to the square that would make the message more clear, until finally revealing our message. Below is an example of this process, images by Emme.


Products was our next method of advertising. We really wanted something that would physically display how IARC could change the shape of the community, and get people to notice what we're doing. We came up with a "donate your junk" experiment, in which the community would give us their scraps, broken objects, and "garbage", and we could take it and turn it into something new, better, and beautiful. This drawing by Sara illustrates our idea.


Next came print materials, for which we designed the "red square pen" that we could pass out to people. We might possibly include a quote on the side, but the overall idea of the pen is that "you can do anything with even a simple pen." Including change the community. Illustration below by Emme.


As we need a webdesign to better inform people, I came up with this proposal for the Community by Design website or blog layout.


Finally, we created one last outlet of advertising. An interactive "path" that would bring the community together, as well as informing them of what 2nd years are doing in IARC. We want to place a series of red squares with white arrows starting from different places around Greensboro (the bus depot, The park on Elm downtown, the fountain at UNCG, etc.) all leading to a central place, a taped off red square. The arrows change people's paths, and bring people together in the center. This is what we want to tell people about.

Drawing by Brianna.

Drawing by Sara.