The Challenge:
How do we show our students the community we’re building?
Ugly Baby Identified:
The entrance to our floor was uninspiring and blank, providing no sense of the program’s community or its dynamic activities. This absence missed an opportunity to immediately engage students and visitors, leaving them without a visual narrative of the program’s community spirit and achievements.
Game Plan:
Inspired by set design principles from The Experience Economy, the goal was to transform the entrance into a welcoming space that celebrated the program’s community through a collage of photographs. This would serve as both an introduction and a reinforcement of the community’s vibrancy and engagement.
Strategic Approach:
- Collection of Memories—I gathered photographs from various program events, capturing moments of joy, collaboration, and achievement.
- Ambassador Highlight – Included a dedicated section to showcase the program ambassadors with professional headshots I took, personalizing the experience and providing recognition.
- Placement: Strategically positioned the collage at the elevator entrance to ensure it was the first thing students and visitors saw upon arriving and leaving our floor.
Victory Dance:
- Visual Impact: The Celebration Collage became a focal point on the floor, immediately engaging many who stepped out of the elevator. It turned a previously blank space into a vibrant showcase of the program’s life.
- Community Engagement: The collage helped new and returning students feel a stronger connection to the community, seeing the fun and collaboration that characterized their program.
- Ongoing Interaction: The collage encouraged more frequent visits to the program floor, with students often stopping to view the photos and discuss the events depicted. This ongoing interaction fostered a deeper sense of belonging and pride among students.
- Enhanced Recognition: The ambassador section provided recognition and visibility to student leaders, enhancing their role within the community and encouraging more students to consider leadership roles.
Skills Used:
- Experience Design
- Project Management
- Photography
- Graphic Design
