Arturo Minera, Charles Dudley, and I sat at a table and drank some coffee while talking about designing within communities like the Price Hill neighborhoods where Arturo (West Price Hill) and I (East Price Hill) live. One of the bigger takeaways from the chat was that folks that live their lives in the neighborhoods—including kids through older adults—are the neighborhood experts. As such, these are the experts—with their lived experiences—that need to be at the tables when designing within communities. There’s no recipe for making this happen, but it has to happen. When in doubt, invent new methods.
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Hiking is an excellent way to exercise and fend off the feelings of cabin fever and feelings of isolation. Everybody should do it. And it seems like everyone is, at least, where I hike. Even when I go out early, there are groups of people there. It’s no mystery why. The trails are easily the best in the region. Like many others, I discovered them during the pandemic. What was likely a secret of some is now a grand central station, and most of the visitors are not following the guidelines of social distancing. Just because you are outside, and the risk is lower, it doesn’t make you entirely immune to COVID-19.
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Cincyflags’ purpose was to design a flag for every neighborhood in Cincinnati. All 52 flags were revealed and displayed on Friday, September 27th, at Findlay Market. Each flag is open source and available for locals to use them as they wish. Learn more about your neighborhood’s flag at cincyflags.com.
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TakeRoot is a campaign led by University Christian Church (UCC) to raise $350,000 over three years to pay off its building’s remaining mortgage. I go to church at UCC and was asked to work on the campaign’s marketing team along with my good friend, Seth Lucus (wayfinding and environmental designer at University of Cincinnati). Together, Seth and I created the visual identity including the name, wordmark, illustrations, and collateral materials. The strategy for the campaign was led by Rick Vilardo of TC Ministries.
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