Before and After HARTS posters

Before

After
This is the emergency contact poster that I specifically worked on for our HARTS project.  The icon of the before poster was supposed to represent an emergency push button.  My first attempt (located in the color section of my blog) looked like a sun.  This one looks like a knob.  Therefore, I decided to eliminate the button idea and create a phone instead.  I cutout an actual cell phone photo in Adobe Photoshop, applied a filter to find the edges, adjusted the hue, and then used the rectangular tool to apply a color style creating a screen.  Next, I applied the text "911".  Then I used color echo from the screen to create my border.  Next, I changed the font to coordinate with our theme, and right aligned the text so that the phone numbers would align for easier viewing.  Last, I added the HARTS logo, reduced its color saturation, and lightened it.  This completed my alterations to my after project.

Clarity
The message of this work is simple:  emergency.  The color red, the cell phone with "911" and the bold fonts and phone numbers work together to present a clear message.  Additionally, by allowing the phone to slightly drop at an angle beyond the initial background, your eye flows to the next set of text which is the information.  The HARTS logo is visible, but not distracting.


Audience
The target audience for this work is the volunteers at HARTS and anyone that may be participating or staying at the church.  I did not have direct contact with the director or church representatives.  My partners, Katie and April, conducted this project for another class.  Therefore, I worked under their directions.  I kept the poster as plain and white as possible, according to parish guidelines.  I believe this fits the typical emergency poster and is not misleading.  Therefore, the visuals, along with names and phone numbers set the correct tone, concept, and should evoke an appropriate response. 

Purpose
This poster serves an informative purpose. The client has approved its format and design.

                        











Before

After

This is the map that I designed for our HARTS project.  It was created in Adobe Photoshop by grouping various rectangular shapes together.  Then I created icons, defined in a separate key, which I placed at the designated spots from a guide that I worked from.  By saturating emergency symbols with a red hue, it contrasts for quick viewing.  In addition, I layered the map over a somewhat transparent Google Earth image for directional comprehension.  I coordinated the fonts and used color echo to keep with our thematic colors for our HARTS project.  I think the best addition to the after poster is the Google Earth photograph.  It is both informative and interesting.

Clarity 

While the main focus of this site plan serves emergency purposes, it also informs volunteers about entrances, restroom facilities, parking and trash take-out.  By using the bright red, the emergency symbols certainly draw attention.  Hopefully, the subdued green parking arrows and trash bin do not disappear on the map.  On the other hand, they should not distract from the emergency locations. I do not see how this map could be simplified more.  Simple was the key to our project due to parish preferences.

Audience

This map will be placed online and in a handbook for HARTS volunteers.  The icons, labels, and easy-to-follow floor plan should be sufficient for most audiences.   I realize in a true emergency, few people will stop and respond to a map.  It probably is more valuable for fire code and insurance purposes.  However, it also gives valuable parking and street information for new volunteers that may be unfamiliar with this church.  Again, I think the real life background sets this map apart from traditional floor plan sites.

Purpose

Again, this map is meant for informative purposes.  It conveys the locations of emergency exits, extinguishers, and alarms while giving additional info about parking, trash, and restroom facilities. According to my group members, the director was pleased with the map. The only thing that I may have changed was the lines denoting the each of the doors.  However, these were on the guide given to me, and I included them in case they were necessary for inspections.  I also tried reducing the key, but then it becomes to hard to read.  Overall, I was happy with the design.