Design in Public Spaces

Design in Public Spaces is a course at the University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu that teaches students to discuss and reflect on approach, method, and theory related to designing for public spaces, employing graphic design techniques.

I worked on 3 main projects for this course:

- Benefits of a Labor Union

- Age-Friendly Cities

- Academy of Creative Media’s New Degree Program

Benefits of a Labor Union

For this case study on the Benefits of a Labor Union, we had to create an artifact that conveyed the benefits of being in a labor union to a target audience of 18 to 35-year-olds.

My labor union choice was for the United Food & Commercial Workers Union. For my deliverable, I decided to design reusable canvas tote bags. The idea behind it was to bring awareness to non-union shoppers and reveal how labor union workers are working at their favorite grocery or retail chain. Another idea later came up where this would also benefit new hire employees; rewarding them with the reusable tote bags and starting a conversation about joining a labor union.

The City & County of Honolulu implemented a Plastic Bag Ban through Bill 59 back in July 2018, where they are currently charging $0.15 per bag at almost every shop. It is highly suggested that everyone should bring their own reusable bag.

Reusable Tote Bags Sketches

I drafted/sketched 8 designs for the reusable tote bags, but later narrowed it down to 2 designs. I went with a to-do list and a wordplay/food puns.

DIY Project

Instead of printing my illustrated designs at a printing company and having to wait for their shipping time, I decided to get creative and made it my DIY (do-it-yourself) project. I'm a sucker for arts & crafts projects.

Age-Friendly Cities

For this group case study on Age-Friendly Cities, we had to create an artifact that improves upon a current service or artifact directed at the elderly population in Hawaiʻi who are 65 years and older.

My partner and I agreed to focus on the Elderly Services and bring awareness to the seniors about the services that can be offered to them. For our deliverable, we both decided to work on print mediums, especially the print ads that are usually posted inside the city buses. Quick research showed that about 1,750,000 seniors ride TheBus (Hawaiʻi's public transportation) each month, which is perfect for our captive audience. "Seniors" are referred to as a person 65 years of age or older.

At first glance of the website, it seemed pretty hefty and full of information. Initial thoughts were, “How do the elderly know how/where to access this website?” Thus, our design plan was to simplify the information that’s on the website and list key points that would interest the elderly to want to know more about the elderly services.

Academy of Creative Media's New Degree Program

For this final course project, we were expected to work as a team of 10 people. A new degree program was about to launch in Fall 2019 that would offer a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Media with 4 concentration focus at the University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu. This degree would provide more congruency to the creative industry. Taking in everything we've learned throughout this course, we had to come up with prints, social media, and a PSA video promoting this new degree.

I played the role of Art Director and Web Designer, assigning tasks to my colleagues when needed. I aided in putting the final presentation together, keeping all of our design work cohesive and clean, as we also had to present our final project in front of the Student Affairs department.