The 100th Post!!-->Visual Advocacy-->DIC Project Page

Project Name: Zeal

Description:
Nearly half of all high school students in Kansas City do not graduate. In 2008, the KC School District reported a 40% dropout rate. According to the national average, Kansas City is ranked 26th among the nation's top 50 schools with a dropout crisis based on data from the last 10 years. Most students note a lack of connection to school, boredom, and personal challenges that contribute to their decision to drop out. The program I have created makes students aware of the importance of staying in school and provides them with the tools and resources to succeed in high school and beyond. Zeal engages students in blogging in order to keep their interest in the program and provide them with a space where they can seek support from peers and teachers.

Visual Advocacy--> 501 (c)reative

This St. Louis-based design firm has a unique specialization: they only do work for nonprofit organizations. In 1994 Karen Handelman quit her job at large corporate firm in Chicago in search of a way to combine her interest in graphic design and volunteer work. After spending a year working for Habitat for Humanity, 501 (c)reative was hatched (the name is a reference to the 501c designation given to nonprofit organizations by the Internal Revenue Service).

Typically in the world of nonprofit organizations, they rely on pro bono work to advertise for themselves. " 'Many design firms do pro bono work as a way to connect to the community,' Handelman says. 'Unfortunately, as I learned from talking with people in the non-profit world, the fact that the work is free can short the organization in terms of client status.'" This also makes it easy to push them aside when a paying client demands work. Handelman's goal is to give nonprofit organizations the same attention through an assurance of quality and consistency in their materials.

Often times non-profits do not have a specific budget, but rather a wish list. They proceed from there based on what the organization can afford. They also have a different way of doing business, which means rarely charging by the hour. Instead they sit down and discuss what the needs are of the specific organization and what is good business for the firm.

Some of 501's current clients include Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, Humane Society of Missouri, Missouri Department of Conservation, the Missouri Historical Society and St. Louis Public Radio. Handelman's next plan is to increase the firm's national exposure.

I think it is important for us as designers to realize that non-profit organizations and other causes need just as much attention as any other client we may come in contact with. They deserve just as much exposure as let's say...Anheuser Busch. Another aspect to the firm is the Handelman encourages her employees to do volunteer work themselves." 'She encourages her staffers to volunteer two hours a week during work time. Initial projects have included collaboration with the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. 'It’s fulfilling for the staff, and it makes a difference in how they approach their work,' Handelman says. “Getting out to volunteer shows them the fuller picture of non-profits.'”

It shocking to me that as far as I know, this type of firm has not existed before. What is even more fantastic is that 501 has been so successful and is growing, looking to expand on a national level. This success shows both the demand and the desire for this type of work. Non-profits are obviously looking for a way to boost involvement and what better way than through their promotional and other materials? The people involved in these organizations are the "bread and butter" sort of speak, they are the ones that keep it going strong. With the designer's help, who knows how far they could go? All we need to do is CARE!!!

Desn Systems-->Branding Colorado--> Applications Round 1

Tri-color brand mark



Single-color brand mark



Business Card



Letterhead/ envelope



Letterhead Detail



Website



T-shirt



Advertisement 1



Advertisement 2

Visual Advocacy--> Design Prototypes

I am working on developing a system that could possibly be implemented into a school program that already exists. It is one that the students would be enrolled in at the start of high school and continue with through their senior year. The program would include featured guest speakers to come in and talk to students, those who are high school dropouts and presumably unsuccessful, and those who have completed high school and are successful with good jobs.
The program would be centered around a web-based environment where after these speakers come in students would have assignments to complete on the website based on the speaker. Students would have to complete the assignments before their next advisory meeting. Teachers would be required to participate and check up on students periodically.
The website would also serve as a forum with a blog dedicated to talking about their everyday lives, what is going on, etc. Each grade level would have their own specific page and blog feed as well as specific tools to help students in that grade. These might include study guides for specific subjects, information on various careers and how they relate to what the students are learning in school, as well as career quizzes/ guides to help students figure out what they are interested in.

The following are prototypes for the web-based component.






These are some quick mock ups of design directions beyond the wire frame sketches.

Visual Advocacy--> Outside Research Summary

So far it has been extremely difficult to make contact with people in the community about this issue. However, what I have gathered from the few that I have talked to is that the high school dropout crisis is a big one in this city and one not easily solved. There are a lot of factors that play into the issue, the biggest being poverty and the workings of the school district. It appears as though the problem won't be completely resolved without somehow addressing all the "issues behind the issue." One person that I talked to mentioned that many students drop out either in 9th grade or during the transition between middle school and high school because the transition is too difficult. These parts of the puzzle I found very little information about on the web. Most of what I found on the internet were surveys and statistics based on a general analysis, but they did not focus on the problems specific to the Kansas City demographic.

Visual Advocacy--> Problem Presentation

Desn Systems-->Branding Colorado--> Iterations

Final Direction (above)
Brand Iterations (below)

Multi Media Ex.--> Bike Community Posters

Final Research Posters for KC Cycling Community