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ACTIVATION
Activation was a major project I created for my Bachelor of Graphic Design in 2024. The project involved choosing an issue and then creating a design research kit to gather information on the issue. We then presented our findings in an infographic. The final phase of the project was to create a campaign that was designed to inform about or drive change for our issue.
The issue I chose was Melbournian’s lack of understanding of the walks, hikes and nature around their city. This choice was informed by the realisation that most of my friends who grew up in Melbourne knew less about the day walks near the city than I did, despite my only moving to Melbourne in 2020.
Design Research Kit
Design Research Kit (DRK)
My DRK was designed to collect information about the participant’s knowledge of the walks, hikes and natural attractions around Melbourne. Participants interacting with the DRK were asked to complete three steps.
The first step was to mark a map of the Greater Melbourne area that didn’t show any information on the walks, hikes or natural attractions in the area. Participants had to mark the walks they had done and the nature they had seen on the map without using any external aids (such as the Internet).
In the second step, participants were asked to place a semi-transparent overlay over the map from step one. This overlay showed the most popular walks, hikes and natural attractions around Melbourne. To complete this step participants simply had to indicate which of the labeled walks they had done and destinations they had seen.
The final step was a survey that asked how the participants learned about and accessed the walks, hikes and natural attractions they have done/seen and what factors are preventing them from interacting more with nature in their area.
Infographic
The results of my DRK showed that my initial observations were correct. Although many walks and natural attractions around Melbourne were of the kind that participants said was their favourite to see, very few of them had been visited. Although participants understanding of the walks and natural attractions around Melbourne was low, every respondent stated that they would like to know the nature in their local area better. These findings indicated the need for an information campaign addressing what the nature around Melbourne has to offer.
Activation
I also deisgned an information pack for participants of a fictional walking group program. Both the information campaign and walking groups were run by a speculative Victorian government department of my own design called
‘Know your backyard’.
Information Campaign
The ‘Know your backyard’ information campaign was spread across four types of public space advertising media, highway billboards, train station billboards, on-train ads and paste-ups. ‘Know your backyard’s’ promotional material has a strong focus on conversational text, and photos of natural attractions in the greater Melbourne area. I chose to focus on public space advertising and conversation-style headlines becasue word of mouth was the most common way DRK respondents learned about walks in their local area. I spread the ‘Know your backyard’ information campaign across media that targets both car and train users because the amount of DRK respondents who preferred to access local walks via public transpost or by car was equal.
Inner south suburbs walking group kit
‘The Inner south suburbs walking group kit’ or ‘walking group kit’ is an informaiton pack I designed for participants of a speculative walking group run by ‘Know your backyard’. Melbourne residents can sign up to the walking groups by scanning the QR code on the ‘Know your backyard’ information campaign materials. Walking group participants have the oportunity to attend 6 walks run over 6 weeks. The walking program is designed to accomodate the participants prefferences.
The walking group information pack contains stickers, a welcome card, packing list, map with the locations of the walks the group will go on and an informaiton booklet with detailed information about the program. The pack is designed to give participants all the information they need to enjoy their walking group experience. Participants will recieve both a physical and a digital copy of the pack.
The ‘Inner south suburbs day walking group’ is one of many walking groups ‘Know your backyard’ would run to educate interested Melbourne residents on the walks and natural attractions in their local area. The walking groups are a proposed responce to the majority of DRK participants who stated that they want to do more walks in their local area but are limited by their lack of knowledge.