Floral Activity Guide
BRIEF
The objective of this project was to create an activity sheet under a hypothetical organization that focuses on educating rural and indigenous youth on biodiversity, while making learning more engaging. While it was a rather broad topic, I focused primarily on midwestern biodiversity and created a theme surrounding wildflower foraging. I developed an activity guide that would help get kids and preteens out into nature to explore their surrounding environment. I wanted to make learning fun so I included four different activities surrounding the theme of cooking and crafts.
PROBLEM/PROMPT
How can I create an educational and engaging activity guide for youth in middle school and early high school that teaches them about biodiversity?
CHALLENGE
It was challenging to find a theme that could make learning engaging, but I also wanted to make sure it would be easily accessible to their nearby surroundings with commons household supplies, so I settled on designing guides to activities such as making watercolor paint with flowers, drying flowers for scrapbooking or other crafts, making dandelion fritters, and color changing lemonade. I researched into similar organizations, my target audience, and potential themes. I also wanted to create something digestible but also visually appealing to a range of ages. I settled on a very textural and bright design style with an almost vintage feel through utilizing hand-drawn illustrations, halftone effects, and a scrapbooking aesthetic.
ROLE
Research, Visual Design, Print Graphics, Illustration
DATE/DURATION
Sept - Oct 2023 | 1 month
TOOLS
Illustrator, Photoshop
TEAM
Solo designer
WHY
School/Portfolio Project
VIDEO WALKTHROUGH
PAGES
LAYOUT EXPLANATION
I settled on a tri-fold layout, with a bright green outside, and a more neutral inside, to balance the loud colors. I wanted to use this layout as well as the size would be convenient to bring with you outside and to open and reference the pages when searching for flowers. When you open up the first page you are revealed the left most folded side with the first activity, but then also the other part of the outer side of the activity sheet, showing a preview of some of the activities in the guide. On the very back is a small guide of an array of common edible flowers that can be found, as well as a description to avoid lookalikes.
The insides are designed in a more simplistic manner, relying heavily on illustrative visuals and short sentences to teach the audience the steps. I thought the focus on the visuals and deviating from more traditional design practices often seen in textbooks or educational layouts, would help grab and keep the attention of those interested in the guide, regardless of age. Each activity lists the necessary supplies or ingredients, and the steps, without overcomplicating anything.
The insides are designed in a more simplistic manner, relying heavily on illustrative visuals and short sentences to teach the audience the steps. I thought the focus on the visuals and deviating from more traditional design practices often seen in textbooks or educational layouts, would help grab and keep the attention of those interested in the guide, regardless of age. Each activity lists the necessary supplies or ingredients, and the steps, without overcomplicating anything.
PROCESS
IDEATION
I started by making a moodboard of design and layout inspiration that I found to be eye catching, bright, and engaging. I knew immediately that my approach was to make this fun and entertaining, but not too obvious that it was educational in a way that would bore youth. I think the best way to get middle schoolers and early high schoolers engaged in this sort of educational topic is by not making it seem overtly educational at first glance, so the visual aesthetic and activities were incredibly important. Which is why I settled on a more non traditional, vintage vibe for the design, and a more straightforward and accessible theme.
SKETCHES
I started researching articles on common edible wildflowers, and accessible activities that require only a few household items to do. Once I gathered the activities and other information, I started sketching potential layouts before taking it to the computer and creating further iterations until I was satisfied.
REFLECTION
This was one of the more challenging projects I have had to face considering the constraints of the project and it's objectives. Trying to make learning fun and engaging, especially to pre-teens who have previously learned about the topic of biodiversity at presumably a much younger age, was not as easy as it seemed but I think I was able to successfully execute my vision. I struggled a lot with the idea of making this something fun and entertaining, but I think the way I was able to visually convey these topics helped to grab and keep attention.
