THE SOCIAL ISSUE
A cultural crisis is unfolding in front of our eyes. Southern California is waging a war against street art, and we are on the loosing side. The walls are the first platform that humans utilized to visually express ideas. From cave paintings to ancient graffiti in Athens and Rome, public speech has always been the most direct way and individual could address his people.
THE CHALLENGE
How do I, with the use of graphic design, enable the public to use the walls for free speech purposes? How do I trigger an emotional response that makes people want to act? What devices can I use to achieve this? How can I find the happy medium between tackling a social good issue, and making a profit?
DESIGN SOLUTION
I have created a brand of street art products. A Free Speech kit that contains all the necessary tools to kickoff a person’s path to free public expression. A mobile application is also available. It provides the user with knowledge about street art techniques, materials and vendors, legal advice, as well as a community in the form of a social network/directory.
PHASE ONE
Developing the Brand
RESEARCH
I began my research by looking at stores that sell graffiti materials. From there I found the major graffiti brands - KRINK, MTN, and MOLOTOW, among others. My takeaway was to use bold, heavy, slab serif typography. The colors should be black in combination with a saturated action color.
I also looked at work from established street and graffiti artist, because I wanted to know what the public is most familiar with in terms of style. OBEY and BANKSY are the two most popular artists. I noticed that both of them use a lot of stencils in their work.
LOOKING FOR A NAME
I needed to figure out a name that doubles as a slogan. I created a mind map that analyzes the obstacles and benefits to my campaign. I then distilled 6 possible themes that convey my message, and finished with 2 possible names.
After that, I went through a number of logo directions. I was trying to combine multiple meanings and symbols in my designs, until I finally found the right path to the solution.
FINAL MARK
The final mark revolves around censorship, because that’s how I view the restriction of public walls. There are two entities depicted - one can’t speak for itself - its mouth is covered, while the other one is angered, and is doing a speech of protest. It’s shouting the LET WALLS SPEAK, however, even its words are censored by the black blocks that are often used when censored documents are released to the public.
I used Rockwell for the typography, because it is bold, masculine and aggressive. I stylized it and created a stencil font.
PHASE TWO
Mobile App Design
WHY AN APP
The Let Walls Speak campaign for social good needs more than a graffiti kit. To fully utilize the tools we’ve provided the consumer with, a mobile application would be useful. I believe that every good business that works directly with its consumer base needs to have a mobile application that serves as an extension to the brand.
WHAT DOES IT DO
The LWS app performs a number of tasks. It serves as an educational tool to help the user learn about the different materials and techniques of street art. The user can find legal tips that help inform him about the risk of his actions. There is a social media aspect to the app, as it provides a list of like-minded users who can exchange experience or collaborate.
The app includes a list of local vendors, where the user can find all of the material that are mentioned in the video tutorials. If the app were to be completed in full, sections like a private chat room and an event coordination board would be added. The wireframe bellow shows most of the navigable pages the LWS app would feature.
PHASE THREE
Free Speech Kit
MASKS, PINS AND STICKERS
The Let Walls Speak Free Speech kit comes with identity protection masks that aid the user in avoiding trouble. I’ve included three promotional buttons to help the user identify with the cause, and a selection of stickers gives an opportunity to spread the word all over town.
BRANDED SPRAY PAINT
The LWS kit comes with two cans of LWS brand spray paint, that can be used with the stencil or separately. I bought generic cans and customized them to fit the brand guides. I used a Silhouette Cameo die cutting machine to make vinyl stickers and transfer the LWS manifesto onto the cans.
PACKAGING
This is what the LWS kit comes in. I designed this box with the use of the LWS stencil, hoping to give the user a quick taste of what’s to come. The box features designs on both the inside and outside. These graphics capture the gritty, chaotic spirit of the street art lifestyle, and immerse the user in it.
STENCIL
The LWS manifesto stencil is an integral part of the kit. Combined with the spray paint and a public wall, this stencil is meant to give the user his first street art experience. The stencil is made of painted birch plywood. I used a laser cutter to fabricate it. The stencil is wider at the bottom so the user can hold it comfortably.
