Opportunity
How might we create a design communication system that brings cohesion and accessibility for a business or organization in the Pittsburgh area. Amongst all of the organizations that we considered for our project, we gravitated towards the Market square for its enormous potential as a community building space. The square, located in downtown Pittsburgh, brings to it over 200 thousand monthly visitors. It is a place to eat, shop, and enjoy the various events hosted there throughout the year.
Outcome
In our deliverable, we developed a dynamic brand identity and communication system for the Market Square, positioning it as a vibrant and inclusive urban commons. Our deliverables included a flexible logo system, a redesigned website, interactive projection-based wayfinding, and site-specific merchandise. These interventions collectively framed the square as a container for diverse community narratives—enhancing visibility, engagement, and cohesion across its seasonal events, local businesses, and everyday visitors.
The Research
Desk Research
Having converged on the Market Square, we conducted a landscape analysis to discover insights about the space.
In our research we discovered that the Market Square experiences seasonal spikes in popularity through out the various event seasons, especially during the Christmas/
New Years holidays time period.
Competitor Analysis
We conducted a competitor analysis on related spaces such as Bryant Park and Bakery Square. In our competitor analysis we discovered that Market Square lacks a unified design language and presence when compared to its peers.
Field Research
We conducted extensive field research at the Market Square. During this phase of our research we interviewed visitors and shop keepers in the square. We observed Market Square as an ever changing space with a diverse visitor and vendor presence. On weekdays it is a home to downtown office workers and residents, and on weekends the square welcomes families, and out of town visitors. Aware of the diversity within the square, we pivoted our field research to capture these unique and diverse stories.
Affinity Mapping
Having gathered a body of unique stories of the experiences shared by the visitors of the park, we synthesized these stories in an affinity mapping to identify insights and common themes.
Using the insights gained in our contextual inquiry of the Market Square, we established
the following how might we statements to help frame our design process.
The Design(er)(ing)
Inspiration
We utilized the concept of Brand Archetypes to help narrow down our visual inspiration research. The two archetypes we selected were Jester and Everyman. We believe these archetypes best reflect the fun and diverse characteristics of the Market Square.
Logo
When creating the logo for the Market Square, we chose to embrace the diversity of the space. We reframed Market Square as a dynamic container for various ever changing narratives. The logo changing and evolving to reflect the ever changing events and opportunities in the square.
Brand Guidelines
The concept of the Market Square as a container for various dynamic narratives became the unifying principle in all of our deliverables. The website would act as a container for the diverse events, local shops, and restaurants within the square. The way-finding would bring awareness to all the diverse events and businesses in the area. The merchandise would create a sense of unify for the various shops and restaurants in Market Square. These qualities are reflected in the brand guidelines for our concept.
Website Redesign
The website redesign connects visitors of the square to the various events, restaurants, and shops in a singular online presence.
Projection
For way-finding within the square, we decided to make use of an innovative projection system. Projections would be an interactive solution that notifies the visitors of the square to all the exciting events and offerings at the Market Square. This projection is a medium to help communicate events, local shops, and experiences to the visitors of the square in the physical realm.
Merchandise
For our merchandizing, we created customizable door tags for the local businesses at the square. These door tags are shaped to reflect the specific city block the business is located at. The door tags are color coded to reflect their hours of operation: daytime, nighttime, or all-day operation.
Reflection
In conclusion, with the help of an iterative design process, we created a design system that embraces the diverse narratives that are the Market Square. We developed deliverables to help communicate a new inclusive identity for the space. Through this project we discovered and grew to appreciate the downtown Pittsburgh area. Reflecting on the past four weeks, this project brought our team closer together.
I want to express gratitude for my teammates Jiwon and Sandra for all of their creative synergy and collaboration.
