GRCD4020: Design Systems II Kolar + Eyman / Summer 2015 Kyle Bennett / ElAsa Crawford / Karen Hatfield / Erin Kline / Jessica Ping
Discover Mill Creek
GROUNDWORK
CINCINNATI MILL CREEK
Discover Mill Creek Contents
.01 The Mill Creek .02 The Team .03 Discovery .07 Concept + Strategy .11 Planning .12 Design Solutions .21 Kit of Parts .24 Neighborhood Branding .26 Promotional + Marketing .28 Digital Interaction
The Mill Creek History + Story History The Mill Creek is located in Southwest Ohio and has quite a story. The Mill Creek was once known for almost the exact opposite what it has been known for the last twenty-five years. Over two hundred years ago the creek was an extremely valuable resource. It was a main source of water and food (fishing) for the local neighborhood homes and businesses. Because it was such a healthy source of water, the floodplain was able to produce rich soil for farming, plants, and wildlife. Over the last hundred years the quality of the creek kept decreasing due to natural causes, but mostly due to humans. This was an extremely industrial area surrounding the creek and people were not careful about taking care of it. It wasn’t until 1992 that it was discovered how poor the quality of the Mill Creek had gotten. When the Ohio EPA finally performed many chemical surveys throughout the creek the results were horrible. The levels of the bacteria and viruses from the raw sewage were higher than what was allowed by pollution standards. Some of the elements discovered in the creek were: lead, zinc, copper, cadmium, and chromium. Due to the increase in pollution many species of fish and other wildlife were not able to survive.
Current Story In 1994, Groundwork Cincinnati – Mill Creek, a non-profit organization was created to help restore the creek. This group has been able to create greenways along the creek and are trying to keep moving forward with a trail. Through this organization middle and high schoolers have been able to participate in fieldwork with the creek. Other residents in the area, property owners, and businesses have also assisted in working towards restoring the Mill Creek. In 1999 planning for Mill Creek greenway projects were able to get started. Today there is a 3.4 mile greenway trail throughout Northside and South Cumminsville. There are plans to hopefully complete 20 miles of trail in sections over the next few years! It has been a long journey, but thanks to great ideas and helping hands the Mill Creek is in a much better place. Wildlife that hasn’t inhabited there in a hundred years are living there again! The Mill Creek is on a great and hopeful path for the future to be a great resource again.
.01
The Team Team Awareness
Kyle Bennett
Graphic Design: Interaction
Erin Kline
Master of Architecture
ElAsa Crawford
Graphic Design: Interaction
Karen Hatfield
Graphic Design: Interaction
Jessica Ping
Graphic Design: Print
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Discovery Our Analysis Upon our journey to and from the Mill Creek Trail, our team took note of and decided to focus on the following factors: Journey to the trail Entry points to the trail The creek itself & it’s relation to the trail We also discovered that there is a lack of knowledge amongst the people living in the area with knowing the trail exists and if they do, they are sometimes unaware of it’s history, the trails purpose, the conservation efforts that have been put forth, and the desired future of the trail, what they can do to help, and where to go for more information.
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Discovery Northside People were settling in the area known as Mill Station by the Mill Creek at the intersection of two old American Indian trails since around 1790. Heavy settlement did not occur until after the Indian Wars were ended by the Treaty of Greenville. By the 1820s, a few residents, businesses and one tavern had grown into a populous area that many residents saw as an escape from city drudgery in Cincinnati. This growth was spurred by the introduction of the Miami-Erie Canal and installation of the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton railroad. The area was further flooded by European immigrants, especially Germans, in the 1840s. By 1873, Mill Station was Cumminsville after an original settler called David Cummins and was annexed into Cincinnati. Many of the buildings still in use were built in the 1890s and have remained intact to enable residents to easily travel from their homes to get their everyday needs. The area, including the busy commercial section of Knowlton’s Corner, continued to boom economically until the 1950s as suburban sprawl pulled residents away from the city and towards new developments in the country. Additionally, the once unified Cumminsville was split into Northside and South Cumminsville by the construction of I-74. The decline of interest led to a decrease in housing demand, property values and incomes. As such, the once thriving economy of merchants began to dwindle. Urban life in Northside would not begin to surge again until the 1980s when first-time home buyers began to take advantage of its central location and cheap homes. In 1978, the Hoffner Historic District was officially designated and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, distinguishing the section for its historic architecture built largely in the Italianate style, Businesses and residents began to reenter and revitalize the area in the 1980s and 1990s into the thriving social and economic hub it is today. Over three centuries, Northside has become a neighborhood renowned for its do-it-yourself, grassroots and eclectic attitude. People from all background live together just as businesses of all types coexist together as an entity with a distinct, independent identity. Artists, musicians, social activists and other creatives build the foundation of the liberal neighborhood that still has a tight-knit hometown feel despite its proximity to downtown Cincinnati. Many community members feel they have a stake in the advancement of Northside and actively ensure the progress of safety, health, business and the arts. Such a population is rife with opportunity to embrace a cause close to home and nurture a problem – like the once abandoned, ignored Mill Creek waterway - until it becomes whole again.
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Discovery Northside: Area of Focus We chose our area of focus based on our initial discovery and analysis of our first introductory journey to the trail. We felt as we walked through the surrounding neighborhood,there was a disconnect between the community and the trail itself. Upon hearing the experiences and insights of the current residents of Northside, we learned a lot of people aren’t aware the trail even existed or if they did, many didn’t know anything about the Mill Creek, it’s history, current state, or conservation efforts. We also chose Northside to focus on because the headquarters for the Mill Creek exists here, giving us a great starting point, the abundance of pedestrian traffic, the amount of local businesses and historical industry, and the amount of schools as well.
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Discovery Pedestrian TraďŹƒc Within the confines of our area of focus, we identified three major roads for foot and vehicular traffic. Hamilton Avenue, also known as State Route 127, that runs several miles north into Seven Hills and Ludlow Avenue in Clifton within Cincinnati. Broadly, the road attracts much traffic because of its intersection with several Cincinnati neighborhoods and north I-275 and State Route 126. It bisects the business district of Northside and intersects with the other two major roads Chase Avenue and Blue Rock Street. Chase Avenue, slightly less busy than Hamilton Avenue, contains businesses, residences and community centers. Blue Rock Street connects Hamilton Avenue to Colerain Avenue and other areas to the west. Blue Rock is also where Groundwork Cincinnati is located. The proximity of these roads and smaller streets to both parking and the Mill Creek Trail itself makes them good places to erect signage to direct pedestrians, especially those seeking leisure or recreational activities, to Salway Park and other trailheads.
PARKING
PARKING TRAIL ENTRY TRAIL ENTRY
TRAIL ENTRY
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Concept + Strategy Defined Problem
The area where the trail feels disconnected and segmented the most is within the surrounding community. There is little wayfinding information as well as informational signage to help people navigate to and understand the presence and significance of the trail as it exists today.
.07
Concept + Strategy Problem Statement
Our goal is to create a system to help connect people in the area of focus to the trail. We plan to do so by implementing a wayfinding and navigation system that will facilitate a more meaningful connection and experience, educate, make communities feel as though they have an ownership of the trail, and can make a difference in conservation efforts for future generations to come.
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Concept + Strategy Communication Needs
After visiting the trail site and learning more about the Mill Creek story, we decided to work within the problem space of Area A – the places people must traverse on the journey preceding entrance to the trail. This space, which can be divided between physical streets and online presence, is rife with communication problems and questions that need to be resolved before ever stepping foot on the trail: What is the Mill Creek? Where is the Mill Creek? Why should I care? These questions all indicate that the Mill Creek Trail communication in Area A – and as a system at large – needs to better inform, direct and engage.
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Concept + Strategy Target Audience
As communication needs became more apparent, we began to examine stakeholders and our target audience. Even as our project execution rumbled along nebulously day to day, both our problem space and audience of lower-income neighborhoods remained consistent. Specifically we sought to reach families with school-age children, possibly attending Millvale Elementary, Ethel Park Elementary or other Cincinnati Public Schools, who could best take advantage of the trail as a recreational green space in a densely industrialized urban area.
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Planning Signage Map Mill Creek Trail Ground Graphic The ground graphics will act as a breadcrumb trail, piquing the interest of local residents as to where it might lead or what it represents. Using the ground is an untraditional way of wayfinding and signage, making it more noticeable to the residents who walk the streets of Northside every day. These graphics will be spray painted on the ground about every 50 feet.
Informational Signage These signs will hold quick Mill Creek facts, whether about the specific wildlife or general historic facts. The facts will not be more than one sentence because anything that is too long will most likely not be read by people passing by. These signs will be mounted to existing street lamps or telephone poles, and will be strategically placed throughout Northside to avoid areas with a lot of signage.
Identification Signage These signs will be placed at any trail entry, and mounted to the existing wide-flange signage posts. The identification signs could include trail maps or promotional opportunities, as well as smaller directional attachments pointing toward specific locations/landmarks along the trail.
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Design Solutions Ground Graphics Goal + Concept The proposed ground graphics will act as a breadcrumb trail for our larger wayfinding system as a method of initial engagement. The system works as a subversion of traditional signage because whether a person looks forward or to the ground, the graphics will still be highly visible but not intrusive within the urban landscape. We envision a pedestrian walking along one of heavilytrafficked sidewalks of Northside and suddenly spotting these intriguing graphics that, together, begin to for a path to the Mill Creek Trail below the skyline of Northside cluttered with business signage. We combined these parameters with our selected brand identity and began to ideate. Most ideas gravitated to the animals that are symbolic of the resurgence of Mill Creek Trail and attempting to arrange them in a direct, eye-catching and organized manner. When benchmarking similar ideas, we saw many artful, painted examples and many governmental, stoic examples. This solution is manifestation of utilitarian creativity and can be easily and cheaply implemented with the one-time cost of stencil production and cans of spray paint.
Benchmarking As a benchmarking precedent, we looked at the project “Talk To: Torino Parla Chiaro (Urban Barriera de Milano)� in the City of Turin. The project uses a multitude of strategies, including a spray painted ground graphic. The Urban Barriera is a regeneration project, similar to the Mill Creek, except it is trying to revitalize a historic district, and the bright, punchy, non-traditional wayfinding system for the city is just one phase of bringing the area back to life.
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WHERE I F L EE
Y
Materials + Application
S
Design Solutions Ground Graphics
The ground graphics will be created through a short step-by-step process. The actual application will be spray paint, which is temporary and quick, and turns the wayfinding into a form a gorilla media.
16"
First, a laser cut template will need to be made. This wants to be made out of a hard durable material (preferably plastic) material, like acrylic or a thick polystyrene. The more durable the template, the fewer templates need to be cut.
MI
LL
CR
W
Once the locations are identified, it is a matter of placing the template onto the ground and using spray paint to fill what it is cut out in the template.
AY
The next step would be identifying sidewalk locations along the routes to the trail to place the ground graphic.
EEK GR
E E
16" 3” = 1’-0”
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Design Solutions Ground Graphics
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Design Solutions Informational Signage Goal + Concept The idea behind the informational signage was to make it playful, connecting to the bread crumbs and the entry signage. The information is brief to engage walkers and spark an interest to go to the Mill Creek. These signs may also serve as directional if need be with the map located on the back to ensure the reader will be headed in the correct direction.
Benchmarking We looked at Trademark Sign Company’s Julius M. Kleiner Memorial Park signage system during our research for inspiration. The concept of cut out icons and layering materials to create more dynamic signage.
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Mounting These signs will be mounted to existing lamp posts and telephone poles along the paths to the trail. They can be mounted with steel brackets and hinges that are easy to use and install. The brackets will be mounted to the sign and then welded or bolted to the poles.
GRO UND WO RK CHANGING PLACES CHANGING LIVES
GROUNDWORK
Cincinnati Mill Creek CHASE AVE
GROUNDWORK CINCINNATI MILL CREEK HEADQUARTERS
HAMILTON
The informational signs located within the Northside neighborhood want to be a stiff durable sign because of the floating wildlife icons at the top. There are multiple options for material choice when it comes to this type of signage. A few of the options are acrylic, expanded PVC, and ABS. All three of these options are outdoor materials that are impact resistant, strong, and stiff. Acrylic tends to be higher in cost but has optical clarity. Expanded PVC is lightweight, rigid, durable and easy to fabricate, and ABS is tough with low price point. Each material has different advantages, and Groundwork Cincinnati Mill Creek will need to make a choice based on their needs.
GREAT BLUE HERON
YOU ARE HERE BLUE ROCK ST
2'-9"
2'-3" MILL CREEK
MILL CREEK TRAIL
I eat fish from the Mill Creek.
HERON I eat fish from GROU NDW ORK
Materials
DISCOVER
Design Solutions Informational Signage
CHANGING PLACES CHANGING LIVES
GROUNDWORK
Cincinnati Mill Creek
1'
1 1/2” = 1’-0”
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Design Solutions Informational Signage
Front
Back .17
Design Solutions Trail Identification Goal + Concept The over-all identification signage concept is based on the current Mill Creek logo using the already existing curves and color choices. The directional signs are attached to the pre-existing wide-flange posts with idea that the new wayfinding can be added to the existing system, which will save money and help extend the budget. Then the proposed icons were incorporated to tie into the breadcrumb trails within Northside. The icons are ghosted to create hierarchy and keep the attention on the informational text, which is the primary focus and usage of the signs. Aside from the large informational panel, there are smaller attachments that provide directional information, pointing patrons to specific locations and landmarks along the trail.
Benchmarking We looked at multiple Challis Design projects for inspiration. Many of the signage systems they employ use multiple materials or a metal structure to support the polycarbonate signage.
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Design Solutions Trail Identification
6"
Materials The identification signs located at the trail entries also want to be a stiff durable sign because of the floating wildlife icons at the top. There are multiple options for material choice when it comes to this type of signage. A few of the options are acrylic, expanded PVC, and ABS. All three of these options are outdoor materials that are impact resistant, strong, and stiff. Acrylic tends to be higher in cost but has optical clarity. Expanded PVC is lightweight, rigid, durable and easy to fabricate, and ABS is tough with low price point. Each material has different advantages, and Groundwork Cincinnati Mill Creek will need to make a choice based on their needs. Ideally, the material chosen will match the existing signage that is currently present along the trail.
SALWAY PARK
FREEDOM TREES
NORTHSIDE ENTRY MILL CREEK GREENWAY TRAIL
SALWAY PARK
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CAMP WASHINGTON
5'-6"
Mounting These signs will be mounted to the existing wide-flange posts along the trail. They can be mounted with steel brackets and hinges that are easy to use and install. The brackets will be mounted to the sign and then welded to those existing posts.
2'
1” = 1’-0”
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Design Solutions Trail Identification
Directional
Identification .20
Kit of Parts Signage System
FREEDOM TREES
CHASE AVE
YOU ARE HERE BLUE ROCK ST
2'-9"
2'-3"
GREAT BLUE HERON
MILL CREEK
CAMP WASHINGTON
MILL CREEK TRAIL
I eat fish from the Mill Creek.
5'-6"
GROUNDWORK
Cincinnati Mill Creek
1'
E
WH
ERE I CR A
8'-0"
I
16"
MI
GRO UND WOR K
GRO UND WOR K CHANGING PLACES CHANGING LIVES
CAMP WASHINGTON
L
I eat fish from
CAMP WASHINGTON
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras mauris ipsum, tincidunt ac hendrerit ut, fringilla lobortis libero. Duis vel aliquam arcu. Aeneanfsvementum
W
2'
HERON
FREEDOM TREES
AY
HAMILTON
GROUNDWORK CINCINNATI MILL CREEK HEADQUARTERS
GROUNDWORK
CHANGING PLACES CHANGING LIVES
LL
CR
4'-9"
W
GROU NDWO RK
DISCOVER
Cincinnati Mill Creek
NORTHSIDE
GROUNDWORK
NORTHSIDE
CHANGING PLACES CHANGING LIVES
NORTHSIDE ENTRY MILL CREEK GREENWAY TRAIL
SALWAY PARK
SALWAY PARK
SE
6"
SALWAY PARK
EEK GRE
E
16"
2'
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Kit of Parts Palette + Standards
Parts of Current Branding
Font Family
The color palette, grass icon, and river curve are parts of Mill Creeks current branding that was pulled into the new proposed idea. The goal was to help add to the existing system in place instead of re-branding the entire organization.
Helvetica ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890?!@#$%&*
Colors Green CMYK: 63 13 97 1 RGB: 108 169 70 HEX: 6CA946
Brown CMYK: 38 57 73 21 RGB: 139 100 72 HEX: 8B6448
Blue 1
Header
Helvetica Bold Copy
Helvetica Regular
CMYK: 95 62 23 5 RGB: 1 96 142 HEX: 01608E
Blue 2 CMYK: 70 14 0 0 RGB: 41 171 226 HEX: 29ABE2
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Kit of Parts Logo + Icons
Current Icon Logo
Proposed Icon System
GRO UND WO RK
Current Logo Arrangement
CHANGING PLACES CHANGING LIVES
GROUNDWORK
Cincinnati Mill Creek
Proposed Logo Arrangement
GROUNDWORK
CINCINNATI MILL CREEK
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Neighborhood Branding Icon Identification Map Broad Scale System While the Discover Mill Creek proposal is focusing on the Northside neighborhood, the system created is designed to work with all of the neighborhoods of the Mill Creek urban core. The ground graphics, informational signs, and identification signs can be applied in all of these neighborhoods with little to no extra design work.
HART
L WEL
Caldwell Park
CAR
WIN N HILL TO
With the new icon system, a neighborhood branding system can be established. By assigning an icon to each neighborhood within the urban core, the patrons of the trail will recognize when they have left one neighborhood and entered another solely by the change in icon on the identification signage and ground graphics. This branding system will help bring continuity between the neighborhoods and the trail itself by creating a recognizable connection through the icons. The trail will become less separated and more apart of the communities.
ROS
Hamilton County Fair Grounds
AWN EL
AGE TH
Icon Branding
S
RING G SP
GE LA
Spring Grove Cemetery
VE VIL RO
Mt. Airy Forest NOR
INSVIL MM
Mt. Storm Park
LE
S
SIDE TH
Salway Park
TH CU OU
CLIF
E VAL
N TO
MILL
ON
MO AIR UN
SHINGT WA
CAMP NORTH F
Burnet Woods
T
SOUTH IRMOU FA
NT
Rapid Run Park
LOWER
LL
L
Embshoff Woods
QUE SGATE EN
EH RIC IL
PRICE HI
EAST P
Price’s Landing Mt. Echo Park
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Neighborhood Branding Icon Informational Signage Great Blue Heron
Peregrine Falcon
GREAT BLUE HERON I eat fish from the Mill Creek.
BLACKCROWNED NIGHT HERON I eat fish from the Mill Creek.
DUCK I swim at the Mill Creek.
Carthage Queensgate
CHANGING PLACES CHANGING LIVES
Cincinnati Mill Creek
CHANGING PLACES CHANGING LIVES
GROUNDWORK
GROU NDW ORK
GROUNDWORK
GROU NDW ORK
GROU NDW ORK
Fish
Cincinnati Mill Creek
CHANGING PLACES CHANGING LIVES
PEREGRINE FALCON I eat fish from the Mill Creek.
GROUNDWORK
GROU NDW ORK
Winton Hills South Fairmount
DISCOVER
Duck
DISCOVER
Clifton
DISCOVER
Black-Crowned Night Heron
DISCOVER
Northside Lower Price Hill Roselawn
Cincinnati Mill Creek
CHANGING PLACES CHANGING LIVES
GROUNDWORK
Cincinnati Mill Creek
South Cumminsville
Turtle
CHANGING PLACES CHANGING LIVES
GROUNDWORK
Cincinnati Mill Creek
I swim at the Mill Creek.
CHANGING PLACES CHANGING LIVES
GROUNDWORK
Cincinnati Mill Creek
FROG I live at the Mill Creek.
CHANGING PLACES CHANGING LIVES
GROUNDWORK
Cincinnati Mill Creek
SALAMANDER I live at the Mill Creek.
GROU NDW ORK
TURTLE
I swim at the Mill Creek.
DISCOVER
FISH
GROU NDW ORK
The graphic icons are not limited to the eight animals shown, but will hopefully expand as the Mill Creek continues to regenerate. The icons, also, do not need to be limited to animals, but can incorporate people and other attributes of the communities and Mill Creek.
DISCOVER
North Fairmount Spring Grove Village
GROU NDW ORK
Salamander
DISCOVER
Camp Washington Hartwell
GROU NDW ORK
Frog
DISCOVER
Millvale East Price Hill
CHANGING PLACES CHANGING LIVES
GROUNDWORK
Cincinnati Mill Creek
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Promotional + Marketing Our Vision
Our vision for the future of the Mill Creek Trail starts with a promotional series revolving around discovery and exploration. We wanted to lend the positive aspects of the trail to set the stage for the tone of voice for the trail. It’s important that the community is aware where the trail has been in the past. The journey to get the trail where it is today is as important as the efforts for the future of the trail. At its core, our goal is to excite a community to discover the existing trail and explore what the future holds for a city with so much opportunity.
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Promotional + Marketing Wall Murals The promotional mural would be applied around high foot traffic areas through the city of Northside. These would aim to communicate the future vision and promote the trail by both honouring the past and giving a sense of hope for future projects. We wanted this to serve as an expressive piece but at the same time informing viewers about the impact of that trail.
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Digital Interaction Webpage The website component to our vision carries across the ideals that have been stated previously. Being able to rethink what the website serves in terms of a functional piece was up for consideration. High level goal: Establishing a tone of voice that ties both the informational and aspiration desires together.
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End
Thank You
GROUNDWORK
CINCINNATI MILL CREEK