Timeline: 1 Month | Team Members: Makaela Bullock, Haley Mason
Intro
Centennial Placemaking collaborated with our GD 301 class to help them curate a brand identity for Lake Raleigh Woods, a recreation area on NC State’s Centennial Campus that is frequently visited by students, faculty, and nearby residents. There were several constraints we had to be mindful of, such as permit parking areas, bus routes, and geography of the area itself.
With our system Lake Raleigh Dens, our team's main goal was to create a system that enhances and establishes a Lake Raleigh experience that attracts more visitors, provide users with a place to gather together and relax, all while preserving the serene and hallowed nature and feel of the lake.
Problem
We noticed from conducting user interviews that people experienced difficulty finding parking to visit the lake, as most places on campus requires a permit. This contributed to the notion that the lake was seen mostly as a property of NC State, not a resource for the wider community.
Key opportunities
- Establish "dens" within Lake Raleigh that help users find the best areas for their desired purpose
- Update campus wayfinding to include Lake Raleigh, making it easier for new users to discover
- Create a branding kit to use for all Lake Raleigh signage
Process
User Persona
Lucas is a college student who enjoys spending time outdoors, especially by the lake. He finds peace in nature, often visiting the lake to watch sunrises, sunsets, and to stargaze at night. The target audience for this user persona primarily includes college students and young professionals in their late 20’s to early 40’s. His goals include visiting peaceful/natural settings, finding comfortable/relaxing spaces to study, and to discover a variety of outdoor activities.
Solution & Final Deliverables
Our system name and brand is called Lake Raleigh Dens. Lake Raleigh Dens are the surrounding areas that combine Lake Raleigh and the Lake Raleigh Woods, proposing the addition of structures, designated spaces, changes to the pier, and a wayfinding system with new signage. This was presented to the Centennial Placemaking team at the Teaching & Visualization Lab at Hunt Library.
Brand Kit
Logos
Main Logo
Stacked/Condensed Logo Variation
Centered Logo Variation
Typography
Roboto - Bold, Semibold, Regular
From Google Fonts: Roboto has a dual nature. It has a mechanical skeleton and the forms are largely geometric. At the same time, the font features friendly and open curves. While some grotesks distort their letterforms to force a rigid rhythm, Roboto doesn’t compromise, allowing letters to be settled into their natural width. This makes for a more natural reading rhythm more commonly found in humanist and serif types.
Color Palette
Reflection
Finding a direction for our project was challenging, as people visit parks like Lake Raleigh for a wide variety of reasons. Eventually, that's what led to our decision to focus on strengthening the identity of the park and branding the user experience, rather than creating a new object or attraction.
