—The School of Cities is a department within the University of Toronto, Canada. Their mission is to collaborate and empower communities and local decision-makers to build more sustainable, prosperous, inclusive, and just urban regions, through research and initiatives.
We cared, as a team, inspired by practical (and utopian) ideas of what 'better cities' can actually look like. The goal was to create a website to highlight initiatives and increase public engagement. We created a website that surfaced connections and transparency of information. A support system for people to find like-minded others.
From March 2022 to January 2023, I worked with O/B. My role included:
• Art direction and UX/UI of the new website
• Research, asking questions, dreaming/brainstorming the future—uncovering inspiration and approaches to engage people in this work
• Presented to, and facilitated discussions with the School of Cities leadership team
• Focused on bringing the ‘human’ aspect forward by highlighting people, and opening lines of connection between the types of content and relevant topics.
• Focused on scalability, easy digestion of content at a glance, and content mobility
• Created a system to allow people to discover related content based on topics of interest
• Designed systems (cards, iconography, tags, filters, bookmarking, share, RSVP, set a reminder, save to calendar)
• Illustrated some graphics and created photography inspiration boards
• Created a unique & socially engaging experience to sit within and outside the existing UofT network and brand guidelines.
• I dreamed of using blockchain (thanks to Kernel) as a database for this network. The idea is to create a decentralized, open-source system where projects and ideas can be stored, tracked, and shared globally. A space to build on each other's interconnected ideas and shared visions. There is a lot of fear around this type of vision atm. One day I hope this shifts in institutions especially! Free sharing of information can open doors to new levels of understanding. It does not have to take away from the current structures but seeks to transform them instead.
Research, Moodboards & Wireframes
Early Stage Designs Presented
