Your Family Disaster Plan
Audience: General public, families
Client: Prof. Jodie Jenkinson
A redesign of two emergency preparedness fold-up brochures from the American Red Cross. The goal of this assignment is to draft a comprehensive plan for redesigning a communication piece intended to fulfill the needs of a specific audience. I chose two brochures meant to help families prepare for emergencies. The goal of the redesign is to streamline the content, and optimize the brochure format for easy use before and during emergency situations.
Format:
Print (brochure)
Tool used:
Adobe Illustrator CC
Completed on:
February 2017
Identifying the problems
To test the efficacy of the brochures, I printed and folded both to see how the documents were designed to be used. Considering these were meant to encourage emergency preparedness, I identified the following issues:
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An emergency preparedness plan is a resource tool - this format can be easily lost or thrown away
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Reading orientation is inconsistent
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Unclear order and organization of content, difficult to navigate
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Graphic elements are nonfunctional and do little to contribute to the readability of the brochures
Design solution
After conducting a needs assessment and exploring solutions, I designed a prototype that is still a brochure but folded accordion-style and magnetized for easy use, immediate access to key information, as well as to maximize area for print content. The brochure dimensions (5 x 7 in.) are sizeable enough to be seen on a fridge, but also portable during evacuation.
Graphic approach
I prioritized determining text levels in order to establish clear content hierarchies. Two humanist typefaces were chosen for their readability. Body copy is at 11 pt. for legibility.
I created icons that were simple and straightforward, allowing for fast and efficient communication.
Organization of content
I designed the prototype so that content from both brochures could be accommodated. When unfolded, the Family Disaster Plan can be seen on one side, and the Family Disaster Supplies checklist on the other.
When the brochure is unfolded again, families can see a customized map of the area of distribution with police stations, fire stations and hospitals highlighted, along with blank spaces for families to fill out together. Collectively, families can determine where to meet in case of emergency and include other emergency contacts.
In its folded state, the back of the brochure lists emergency information, as well as emergency contacts for families to list down.
