INTRODUCTION
Design Day for GOOD is a collaborative initiative composed of volunteers, designers, communicators, marketers, and design thinkers led by Cyan Bold Design and hosted by Staples Studio Kelowna in partnership with the Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC) BC Chapter. The idea for Design Day for GOOD comes from the GDC SKN Design Day and follows the same premise – design as many meaningful assets as possible for local nonprofit organizations to help further their causes and boost their visual voice in one day. The overall goal is to use design and design thinking to build up the communities we live in.
Bringing Design Day for GOOD to Kelowna was no easy feat. The originally scheduled date was actually April 4th, 2020. However, when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, my dream of bringing an event such as this to Kelowna was postponed indefinitely. Fortunately, Staples Studio was encouraging throughout the process and let me know that as soon as they were prepared to host a volunteer workday safely I would be one of the first to know. This also meant a reconfiguring of the original model of the event. In order to keep with physical distancing measures within the space, we limited the number of attendees, allowed for remote work solutions, kept to our own workstations and devices, shared all files digitally, sanitized often, and wore our masks. I was so thankful Studio was geared up to provide the use of a co-working space where all of this was taken care of and more. Using a dedicated Slack channel, Zoom, a smartboard, Spotlight (event space), workstations, and being hooked up to a reliable WiFi network made design work easy and seamless. Being provided nourishment, beverages, and surprises were the icing on the cake. We owe a huge amount of gratitude to the generosity of Staples Studio as a partner on this event. Staples Studio also had the most up-to-date cautionary measures in place for us to follow which allowed for peace of mind while focusing on the tasks at hand.
No co-working space would be complete without an engaging and encouraging Community Manager. Matt Stewart, Community Manager of Staples Studio Kelowna has been a rock of support during these uncertain times. Throughout the event, he was the technician, sanitizer, waiter, community connector, public speaker, showrunner, troubleshooter, co-organizer, and problem-solver. He was on board with this initiative since day one and I couldn’t think of a better representative for Staples Studio Kelowna. Thank you, Matt and Staples Studio for being the hosts with the most!
ON WITH THE SHOW (and tell)!
Lending their skills and talents to 2 local nonprofit organizations; 2 teams of 5 (with 3 remote participants), 1 community manager, and 1 volunteer worked tirelessly on a Saturday from Staples Studio Kelowna to help build community. Essentially each team of 5 became a dedicated makeshift boutique agency for a day – bringing individuals with various talents, experiences, and skills together in a common goal – to accomplish a task shortlist for a nonprofit organization in need.
COMMUNITY MANAGER
Matt Stewart
VOLUNTEER
Christine White
TEAM ETCETERA
Avril Paice – Etcetera Representative
Tory Braun (Clever Girl) – Team Lead
Phred Martin, CGD (Splash Design) – Design
Alex Hennig (Clear Design) – Design
Liz Govier (Liz Go) – Web Design & Social Media
Amy Gopal – Communications/Marketing
Team Etcetera was tasked with boosting community awareness of Etcetera 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth Group and generating financial support of the program through encouraging community donations. They were encouraged to think about ways they might be able to engage the participants (who endearingly call themselves the Glitter Critters) in the design process and give them something they could own as well.
The digital assets that were delivered far exceeded expectations. Team Etcetera developed a unique design system for social media posts and further asset development. They created designs for logo variations, rack cards, shirts, social media posts, and more.
TEAM PLAN OKANAGAN
Denise Martell – PLAN Okanagan Representative
Chris Bingham (Me/Cyan Bold Design) – Team Lead
Laura Bonin (Work BC) – Communications/Marketing
Eryca Stirling (Eryca Stirling Designs) – Design
Sarah Tucker (Graphically Hip) – Design
Vanessa Devine (Vanessa the Hobbyist) – Research & Design
Team PLAN Okanagan was tasked with amplifying PLAN Okanagan’s visual voice within the community amongst their participants and supporters. PLAN Okanagan also required new approaches to soliciting donors in the community and encouraging community involvement. It was imperative to consider participants within PLAN Okanagan’s network and their needs when developing materials and assets.
The digital assets, strategies, and mock-ups that were delivered surpassed the task goals. Team PLAN Okanagan was very inventive and productive in producing designs. There were so many options for PLAN Okanagan to choose from and not everything is posted here. We created designs for retractable banners, table covers, a presentation deck, a letter of asking, shirts, buttons, stickers, wheelchair bags, totes, reusable cups, pop-sockets, and more.
