Kent State University Two Week Summer Program
Ballpark and Community
Developing a Wayfinding, Identity Interpretive Program for Jacobs Field
This year’s summer workshop project will be one group project including everyone
attending the program. The project is to develop a wayfinding program, identity program,
central exhibition and community identity for Cleveland’s Jacobs Field Ball Park. The
program theme is Ballpark and Community. The goal of the designers will be to create and
document a design program that extends the ballpark into the city and vice versa. Designers
will have the chance to develop a plan, create a pattern language and detail specific design
elements.
Communities in cities have centered themselves around distinct community attributes, like
museums, civic buildings and ballparks. These communities have their own day to day
identity, but utilize the central institution to expand on that identity. This produces an
interesting dilemma. Should the community draw its identity and history from the ballpark
or vice versa. This is especially interesting in Cleveland where the ballpark was built inside
an old Cleveland community with its own history and identity. Ballpark revived the area,
but contained very little in the way of community history. The goal of this workshop is to
determine the extent of community history inside of the history of the area.
Audience for the workshop
10-15 college students (Junior and Senior Year), graduate students and some recent
graduates. All have design and software and experience and some understanding of EGD.
Handouts for Program
CD pdf and handout sheets
History of Environmental Graphic Design
Sample Sports and Urban Wayfinding Processes and Diagrams
Software to be used
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
Freehand or Illustrator
Photoshop
Sketchup
Quark Express or Page Maker
Filemaker
Hand drawing will also be employed
First Week
The Ballpark and the Community
Day One – June 18 – 9:00 am start
Kent State Urban Center in Cleveland
Lecture 1: The Ballpark and the Community
Schedule:
Sponsored by ASI-Modulex
9:00 Morning: Opening Lecture by Craig Berger
12:30 Photo tour of the Cleveland Ballpark
3:00 Char Catt Lyon speech to large group
4:40 Brainstorming Session on ballpark ideas
7:05 Game
Tour of the Ballpark Area
Project 1: How to conduct a site audit and create a mission statement of the ballpark and
community area.
Photo tour of the ballpark area
Brainstorming Session.
Speaker – Char Catt Lyon at 3:00 PM and Craig Berger
Exercise 1: Project overview. Split into two groups. One group conducts a photo survey of
the ballpark. The second group conducts a photo survey of the community. These photo
surveys should break down the gateways, main paths, key nodes, landmarks, districts and
areas of interpretation. The brainstorm session will be conducted as a single group.
Tasks
Split into two groups
Begin site audit
Create a Mission Statement as one group
Create an initial conceptual plan
Software Used – Excel, Pagemaker or Illustrator.
Day Two - June 19 – 10:00 AM
Lecture 2: EGD and the Ballpark. Planning and Implementation.
Integration of Brand into environmental graphic design
Systems integration. Tying all the elements together
Developing a kit of parts
Speaker – Rachel Downey
Speaker – Sue Youngblood
Exercise 2: Complete site audit. Begin wayfinding planning exercise. Select sign
vocabulary and apply to a preliminary excel. message schedule of recommendations. Create
site map with basic routes and design recommendations. Create sign plan two routes, and
primary route and a secondary route, as well as sign recommendations for each route.
Tasks
Complete Site Audit
Complete Mission Statement
Develop an Initial Storyline and Narrative of the town and ballpark
Complete the Concept Plan, with major destinations
Selection of Components
Community
One Identity Component - Billboard, gate, sign, supergraphic, mural, electronic element
One wayfinding component – Map, sign, dynamic element
One interpretive component – Exhibition, sculpture, sign, pavement
Ballpark
One Identity Component - Billboard, gate, sign, supergraphic, mural, electronic element
One wayfinding component – Map, sign, dynamic element
One interpretive component – Exhibition, sculpture, sign, pavement
Day 3 – June 20 – 10:00 AM
Lecture 3: Craig Berger – Stadiums, Ballparks and Communities. Reading a Building, and
Reading Community Architecture.
Discussion: Craig Berger and David Middleton — Identity for Heritage and Community
Projects. Architecture, Icons and Imagery
Exercise 3: Parti drawings and photo montages. Begin of Design Development Process
Tasks
Finalize Wayfinding Route, Concept and Plan
Begin design development of preliminary sign elements
Begin the design of the identity
Create a special visual language to use across the entire project
Select Preliminary Typography, Colors, Materials
Day 4 – June 21 – 10:00 AM
Lecture 4: Developing a kit of parts for a wayfinding program
Speaker – Miranda Hall Carrier
Exercise 4: Develop a basic sign vocabulary of elements in free-hand and a written
description of each element describing how the identity and wayfinding plan was
incorporated into the design analysis. Create a description sheet for each element describing
how they are to be used in the project. Describe how colors and symbols will be used.
Tasks
Finalize preliminary design elements
Finalize site audit, strategic plan and hierarchy.
Create a plan to integrate gateways, icons, lighting and art into identity.
Day 5 - Final Critique – June 22 – 2:00 PM
Final First Week Critique
Miranda Hall Carrier
Sue Youngblood
Craig Berger
Preparation for Second Week.
Complete and package all elements. Create one sheet of multiple sign elements in elevation
scaled to each and a person, and photo montage of sign elements in key locations. Second
half of the day.
Second Week June 25-June 30
Fabrication and Documentation
Day One - June 25 – 9:30 AM
Lecture 1: The Elements of the Design Intent Document Package
Speaker – George Limm
Exercise 1: Convert the sign elements from week one to a design intent document elevation
in freehand or illustrator in scale with color without materials.
Tasks
Final schematic development using hand drawing. Final development of design palette.
Begin design development of design vocabulary using illustrator
Day Two – June 26 – 10:00 AM
Lecture 2: Documenting two dimensionally
Speaker – George Limm
Exercise 3: Draw one sign element on freehand in a top, and side view, by hand or
software, and measured photo montage to show installation.
Begin developing dimensioned drawings
Day Three – June 27 – 10:00 AM
Lecture 3: Selecting and specifying Materials and Methods for the fabricator
Lecture 4: Taking Design the Design Process Three Dimensionally
Speaker – Kevin Fromet – ASI Modulex
John Mishke – Studio 505
Exercise 3: Select materials and write the specifications for their use on the design intent
drawing package.
Get materials folders at conference from all of out vendors.
Select final colors and materials for use in the design package
Finalize design development
Development of complete sign package
Day Four –June 28 – 10:00 AM
No lecture. Begin final.
Exercise 4: Final development of the egd package and creation of a portfolio in egd.
Put all the documents together from week one and week two.
Day 5 - Final Critique – June 30 – 1:00 PM
Complete one sign element as a sign design package. Second half of the day.
Outcomes
Students at the end of the two weeks this is the final required documentation.
Week 1
List of potential brainstorming ideas
Written Project Concept and Goals. The concept will also contain information on how it
relates to the other group concept
Map of the area explaining project concept, key destinations and key locations for project
development
List and description of kit of parts being employed, including one wayfinding element, one
identity element and one interpretive element
Analysis of type of design elements being considered
Palette containing color, typography, pattern, identity. The palette will also contain a
description on how it links to the other team’s kit.
Schematic drawings of individual elements of design vocabulary in freehand drawing and
photo montage.
Final Week one: 11”x17” program presentation in pdf format containing all the above
elements.
Week 2
Continued design development in freehand drawing
Design development in measured drawings in plan and elevation.
Three dimensional drawing of the design object
Photo montage of the design object
One written specification for material selection and one for lighting selection on the
measured drawing.
Final Week Two: 11”x17” program presentation in pdf format containing all the elements
from week 1 and 2.
Potential Design Elements
Plan - How should the place be interpreted and its story be told? What locations should be
profiled and developed as part of this history?
Identity - How should a neighborhood identity be defined? Should it be closely aligned
with an overall heritage area, or should it have a distinct identity? The identity will be
graphic, and find its expression in architecture and landscape. Gateways and pedestrian
elements. Logo design.
Interpretive Design – There are a number of ways a community can be interpreted including
signs, sculpture and landscape. The workshop will explore both traditional and nontraditional interpretive elements. The central product is a core interpretive sign element.
Wayfinding – How are the interpretive elements connected, and how do they relate to the
overall identity of the place?
Map - A special map will be developed of the neighborhood that will specifically define the
nature of the place and the connected interpretive elements.
Dynamic Elements – Can movement be integrated into the environmental graphic design
scheme and how will that be employed.