This proposal was designed for use in the 2020 Artwalk event, an annual event run by the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council with the aim of shinning a light on the strengths and talents of local artists, performers, musicians, and designers. After four years of running, the 2020 event was set to be the first time Artwalk would take place across three locations simultaneously, these being Port Macquarie, Wauchope, and Laurieton.
However, with the unforeseen consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak, plans for this event needed to be drastically altered to ensure the safety of both the participants and the general public. This, gave rise to the use of local business storefronts as makeshift gallery stalls, allowing creators to display their work and the attendees a safe method of viewing it. This new plan required several touchpoints to ensure that all attendees remained safe and were informed of social distancing requirements. These include footpath stickers around the CBDs, posters to be displayed in the windows of participating retailers, and in Port Macquarie hanging banners to be displayed in the windows of the local gallery.
With this event focusing on the personal and handmade aspects of local art and creation, I chose a handcrafted collage theme for my designs. This theme was not only eye catching, but also quite adaptable in how it could organise information.
The colours for these designs were all taken from the official Artwalk logo, with the exception of the gallery banner, taking its colour scheme from the Australian green and gold. With no official independent branding for “The Longest Footpath Art Gallery” itself, a new wordmark was also produced for this proposal, this mark can be seen in the page banner, as well as the stickers and poster designs.
The final products produced for this project included three potential footpath sticker collections with between five to six 70cm diameter stickers in each, only one of these collections was to be chosen and used. In addition to three variations of the A3 participation poster, with all to be used, and a single design for the gallery banner.
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT OUR STICKERS & POSTERS
This collection was the primary concept when conceiving the collage theme, as such, it is the strongest of the three collections, and pairs seamlessly with the other touchpoints in this proposal. The simple yet effective three-section design of this collection allows each sticker to feel distinct while still remaining visually consistent in their layout and information delivery.
The second collection refocused towards the social distancing message. As these stickers are quite large and costly, only a limited amount were available for print with the project’s budget. As such this collection ensured that the message was both bold and memorable. Utilising simple vector art, while still injecting a little more personality into the overall design.
The third collection drew its inspiration from the verity of creative arts on display at the event. These included a brush and paint palette for painting, an oversized pencil for drawing, a vase for pottery and crafts, a ballerina for the performance arts, and musical notes for live music. Although the least collage collection of the three, these fun and unique vector silhouettes add far more character than either of the others.
