In Southwest Michigan there are several invasive plant varieties that are damaging ecosystems and harming native flora. This program, Plant to Paper, will facilitate the identification and removal of harmful invasive species around Kalamazoo County.

Promotional posters and social media posts, promotional lawn flags, mobile website, informational booklet, and papermaking troubleshooting handout.

On a more local level, southwest Michigan is home to a plethora of invasive species, both flora and fauna. This program, Plant to Paper, addresses and educates the issue of invasive flora in the Kalamazoo area and contributes to management efforts to reduce the spread of these unwanted plants.

I referenced several books and videos about tips for designing identities. I also had a consultation with professional designer Kristy Campbell. She walked me through her process for rebrands and gave me advice for creating the deliverables for the project.

I utilized an official list of invasive species provided by the state of Michigan as the foundation of my research on the subject. I also referenced an array of articles that went into specifics about how to most effectively manage stands of the invasive plants.

I interned at the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center during the spring 2022 semester where I was able to learn how to make paper by hand and consult with the studio manager of the Book Arts Center: Katie Platte. I also had a consultation with artist and papermaker Megan Heeres about her process and tips for conducting papermaking workshops for beginners.

• Khounnoraj scarf — Found on Instagram, the imperfect circles and multiple textures were also inspirations for the hand-made elements used throughout the program deliverables.

• Studio Noon chair — Found on Instagram, the roundness and visual softness of the piece contributed to the welcoming feeling I wanted the program's identity to have.

• Zamaraeva ceramic teeth — Found on Instagram, the ceramic teeth all generally have the same form yet have different colors to make each one stand out, this contributed to how I arranged the information for each plant: including the same information but having illustrations and assigned colors for each to make them more distinguishable.

• Lee vessel — Found on Instagram, the transitioning wavy lines around the vessel contributed to the movement I wanted to convey in the identity of the program.

• WMU OfS poster — Seen around WMU's campus, I wanted to have a reference of what visuals the Office for Sustainability already used on promotional materials.

• Matter of Trust social media posts — Found on Instagram, the simple illustrations and colors used inspired the idea for including illustrations throughout the program's deliverables.

Initial sketches for the identity ranged from chunky to intricate letterforms. First refinements simplified the letterforms and focused more on the interaction of the letters between the words. Further refinements experimented with paper shapes to tie in with the name of the program, also playing with movement and tying the words together. Next sketches moved away from the paper shapes and instead refocused on the interaction of the letters between the words. After narrowing down to two possible directions for the identity, ultimately I went with the direction without the paper shape. The final identity shown in color ties in with the movement and transformation that the program revolves around. 

The illustration process began with simple black line work. After dropping some illustrations into the handout booklet, I realized that the black was too harsh and felt sterile instead of natural and inviting. I then tried adding color to just the line work, which did not achieve the look I wanted. I went back and refined the sketches, creating more nuance. Then, I added more realistic fill colors instead of coloring the line work which became the final process for all of the illustrations featured throughout the program's deliverables.

The initial poster designs were constrained within the classic portrait poster layout. After multiple rounds of refinements for the content of the posters, it was suggested to me to try out a format where posters would tile together instead of a single one standing alone. I reconfigured the content across multiple posters and eventually landed on the final design of two main posters that connect edge to edge with accompanying satellite posters that can be rearranged to fit around existing posters on campus.

I originally envisioned the public interactive flags to be the same size and material as the existing construction lawn flags. My preliminary designs were made to fit on the small, square flags, but after some critiques and refinements I realized that my flags needed to be more attention-grabbing. The new flags were larger and bright scarlet to stand out against the green foliage of the environment they would be placed in, but still not quite right. After more critiques and suggestions, I tried out a frame layout for the flags to more accurately point out the problem plant. The first mockup was too flimsy, but the final version is much more sturdy due to being printed on water resistant paper and mounted on foam core to add strength and withstand its outdoor environment.

The mobile website for Plant to Paper can be reached by scanning the QR code found on promotional posters and public interactive flags. The landing page of the website features the identity and prompts the viewer to scroll down to identify one of the plants they may have come across either by small satellite poster or in the real world through a lawn flag. After choosing a plant, the website provides information about why the plant is an issue and suggests learning more about the program on the "About" page of the site. A sign up function is included on the "Get Involved" page for those who are interested in participating after learning about one or more of the local invasive plants and the program.

The process for the informational booklet handout was the most in-depth. Not only did the book require the most research for the content within, it also had the most intricate layout designs and physical construction. I created spreads for each plant noted in the book that address the habitats the plants are found in, how to identify each plant and distinguish the invasive varieties from non-invasive lookalikes, and also how to properly harvest each plant to avoid regrowth. Included in the spreads are photographs of the plants and their non-invasive lookalikes, along with my illustrations to highlight specific attributes of the plants to aid in identification. After the layout was completed, I needed to construct the books. I made my own paper (with cotton fiber instead of invasive plant material due to the time of the year) and had the program identity laser cut into plywood which was used to emboss the booklets' covers. Finally, I bound the book together using the coptic stitch to allow for maximum flexibility when opened and laid out on the ground when participants are harvesting their plants.