Sacramento State has long held an annual spring show where students from the graphic design, photography, and interior architecture departments showcase their work to each other and potential employers. 2020 has been a life-changing year for many, and one of the continuing effects of the pandemic has been the decision to withhold from having a physical event where students can present their work and interact with potential employers. This comes as a big sacrifice as the show is something that all design students look forward to each year because it offers them an opportunity to really showcase their skills and talent.
While at the moment the pandemic has taken over any plans for another show, the goal of this project is to design an opportunity that could make it possible for such an event to take place safely. Keeping in mind COVID health regulations, this project aims to deliver a floor plan, interior signage, and exterior signage for a potential 2021 spring show at Axis Gallery in Sacramento.
Before any exploration into the final design outcome of the project can take place, it is important to establish a work of research from which we can gather information and make informed design decisions.
One of the best ways to understand a direction which we can take is by conducting a comparative assessment of best practices from other brands and build a vision and expectation for the user experience. Below is the research gathered from three projects that have been re-imagining the way COVID signage is viewed and used by users.
Overview: **Studio O+A challenges the way the new reality of the workplace has to be. This project is aimed at rethinking the way COVID regulations are delivered in the workplace, with an overall goal of bringing fun and joy into a serious message of safety.
Design Solutions:** The studio created a series of posters with phrases that all relate to the new normal social distancing rules set in place for the re-opening of workplaces.
.png)
Content Analysis: With the playful tone and imagery that the studio crated with their posters, the new set of rules for COVID safety has been turned into something more whimsical and fun to look at. All posters show an important message about the new workplace guidelines due to COVID and each poster is unique in its own way, but the consistent use of the character design and playful type helps to connect them all in a series. The fun poster designs take away the stressful anxiety a user can experience from looking at a stoic and matter-of-fact rule. Instead, the designer has kept the messages joyful while still communicating the proper COVID guidelines for the workplace.
Takeaway: It is usually expected that rules and regulations are to be delivered in a matter-of-fact kind of way, with no room for extra elements of design in the message. The designer of these posters, however, has challenged that notion and successfully delivered a joyful way of looking at these COVID regulations meant to keep everyone safe. The takeaway here is the possibility of the usage of fun and colorful art that is set up to still deliver an important message about the new normal in a post COVID world.