Designing an Event

So I started the event materials deliverable just thinking, oh, I just need a few things. What objects would be appropriate for COMMN to provide for college events? There are the obvious–tent, table, tablecloth–maybe a banner or some signage. Maybe they could give out free apples or something? But the more I dove in, the more I realized that there are so many things that can be designed! 

Bags, shirts, stickers, brochures, event protein bars. (Why couldn’t COMMN partner with a food manufacturer?) I tried to keep the ideas fun and far from corporate. The last thing we want is for the merch to end up in the trash. I’ll be working more on the swag next fall, but I wanted to explore possibilities for the event.

Signage

Grocery stores (where I have a boatload of experience) and probably other retail stores, often use the “30-foot, 10-foot, 3-foot” rule to organize signage and communication hierarchy based on customer viewing distance. At 30 feet, signage should grab attention and communicate the broad idea. Think billboards, or wall signage. For the event, I used the tent to act as the attention grabber. 

At 10 feet, viewers should be able to understand more context and supporting information as they approach the display. For this part, I used the banner and spin the wheel game. 

At 3 feet, the design focuses on details like instructions, pricing, QR codes, or other actionable information meant to be read up close. Here we used the free giveaways and prizes for the wheel game. This approach helps guide viewers from awareness to understanding to action, making environments (and activities) easier to navigate and info easier to process.