This project won Best Lettering at AIGA Wichita's Student Portfolio Forum in spring 2023.
TASK: Create a mural. I chose TOP Early Learning Center because although there is a logo on the rock wall, it is only a small part of the gray building. It alone doesn't captivate people driving 50-55 mph, and a mural would better alert people that the ELC is there, hidden behind the trees. (See screenshots from Google Maps below.)
CONCEPT:
The Early Learning Center's mission is "to deliver a high-quality early learning experience to children living in poverty." Its logo supports this and portrays learning as an exciting process. The swirly letterforms communicate this childlike joy. The letter "t" looks is a child reaching for a star close by; the star represents the opportunity for learning that the ELC provides.
I wanted this mural to convey this love for learning that the school embodies and for it to serve both children and their parents as well the many others that drive by. As we get older, the idea of learning often feels burdensome because we expect ourselves to instantly be good at new things and to catch up with society's hustle culture. However, learning can be freeing and fulfilling. I want this mural to help children keep that mindset and passion throughout their lives and to remind people who may have forgotten.
PROCESS:
Since this mural is off highway, I needed message that could be read quickly. I choose "LEARN" and stacked the letters, so they could be larger in the vertical space. The "L" is larger than the other letters to emphasize how you "earn" knowledge when you learn.
This school is for four-year-olds. Around that age, children learn to write, so I traced kids' handwriting on the walls. I planned to include the entire alphabet but used only letters from "learn" to literally show that learning can be a messy, jumbled up process. I also included scribbles. I considered making them look like crayon marks, reminiscent of a child's drawings on the walls, but decided that it would be easier to actually paint the solid lines.
I also created a swirly version of "learn" to show that repetition is part of learning.
REVISIONS:
