Branding, Design System, Typography, Environmental
Musical Swings
The Musical Swings installation transforms the concept of cooperation into a playful experience, illustrating that collective action can produce something greater than individual efforts. Each swing in motion generates a unique note, and when all the swings are used together, they create a harmonious composition—some sounds only come to life through collaboration.
This project encourages community engagement by inviting people of all ages and backgrounds to take ownership of public space. It creates a vibrant spot in the heart of the city, where play and connection thrive.
Client: Daily tous les jours
Role: Brand Design Leand
Year: 2016
Goal
To replace existing stanchion signs with an environmental installation that can be read both day & night incorporating the principals of the swing installation.
The original signs cannot be read at night, are visually the dense and hard to read. The instructions are unclear: the color of the swing denotes an instrument, yet there is no key to which color swing makes which sound.
Exploratory Sketches
It was important to me to capture the essence of the experience in the new signage. As an adult, I have found few experiences that are so simple to be so abundantly joyful than swinging on these swings, and making music while flying, freely, with people I adore. There is an energized serenity, that comes both in the therapy of the music and the experience of playing with friends. These swings are a simple, pure joy, and I knew there would be a way to bring these feelings into the information about how they work.
Typography & Color
The final logo mimics the movement of the swings in friendly, easy-t-read typography. The intention is to light the type within the sign using a blacklight, so the sans serif forms are open and wide, with enough “surface area” to pick-up the blacklight at night, and clear during the day, ensuring their readability.
Illuminated landscape
Illuminating the landscape in collaboration with the Musical Swing installation this instructional signage box is as vibrant and joyful as the experience of creating music by swinging.
Collaboration is greatly represented in the every changing, therapeutic saturated gradients behind the instructional information of the sign.
