(Art Center College of Design 2020)
Instructor: Carolina Trigo
This project designs a playful and educational campaign to promote Home Depot’s kids’ projects and activities, including Kids’ Workshop, Science Fair Central in collaboration with Discovery Education, and more planned programs on the way. The campaign acts as a catalyst that makes visible the infinite world-making potential of Home Depot, not only through their broad home improvement retail but also dedication to education for future doers.
The final design outputs are posters for indoor and outdoor communication, a campaign website, catalogs, promotional motion clips, and stationery.
The primary visual story for this design is a maze and how children’s creative power can amaze us as well. When we think about an actual labyrinth, we find it represents the uncertainty that occurs within a certain structure and the action of exploring. The shape of a maze also resembles the brain circuits and imbued the connotation of thinking and learning.
That being said, the design does not have to be a physical labyrinth/maze; instead, it can be repetitive and distorted patterns to create an illusion and arouse thinking. Therefore maze lines can exist in any form, as are line drawings, ropes, metal wires, and footprint tracks. While the form itself remains uncertain, lines inherently offer the potential of change and possibility, which leaves kids with unique patterns and shapes.
The messaging of the logo is consistent with the visual story of uncertainty and emphasizes the spirit of exploration.
With the “Amaze” campaign, I want to encourage people to embrace children’s hands-on learning process’s unknown potential.
The uncertainty is beautiful yet delicate and has to be carefully protected in education through thoughtful instruction, encouraging mentorship, and professional pedagogy. This realm is where the kids’ education activities of Home Depot shine, spark and make possible.
The posters is a space of extending the visual language in the catalog design. It use abstract and flat graphics, and subtle changes of color in the background to create a sense of dimensional movement and sublime.