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PHOTO BOOTH FRAMES

EDX CHICO 2018

DURATION One month

PROJECT BRIEF Create photobooth frames for students to use at an event on the first day of the semester.

Photo by Jason Halley

BACKGROUND

EDX Chico is an event where exceptional faculty speak about something they are passionate about within their fields of expertise. The event was held for the first time in the Fall of 2018, though it expected to become an annual occurrence. 

PROJECT BRIEF

 I was asked by the Office of the Provost at CSU Chico, to create Photo-Booth frames to promote student involvement at EDX Chico, an event on the first day of the semester. 

RESEARCH

 For this project, I did a lot of research on existing photo-booth frames. I looked at many examples to discover which aspects worked and which did not. My goal was to create something that students would want to pick up and take a photo with, so I tried to find examples that were clean and eye-catching. 

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The only guidance I was given for the project was to create something that “exemplified Chico State.” So the next phase of my research required me to determine what people thought of when they thought about Chico State. I asked people on campus the question and I looked at social media to determine what aspects of Chico seemed to best illustrate campus life. 

STRATEGY AND DESIGN

​After doing my research, I narrowed down the list of feedback I received about what best described Chico. This list included Kendall Hall, the new wildcat statue, the wildcat logo, the creek, and Willie, our mascot. I began designing several formats based on these ideas. The client wanted three frames, either a set of identical three or a variation of three, so I created multiple triplet-sets. 

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My favorite set showcased Willie the Wildcat. This was a popular response during my research phase, and the mascot plays a relatively significant role on campus. I used photos of Willie, taken by our campus photographer, and cut them out on Photoshop. I then placed the images on the frame in a way that made it look like Willie was trying to pose with whoever was using the frame. Another set showcased the Wildcat ID card design. During my research, I found that this was a successful way of getting people at other schools to utilize the photo-booth frames.

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After several rounds of approval by the EDX Chico committee, the client chose to order two frames that featured cut-out photos of Willie the Wildcat and one frame that showed the ID card. From there, the frames were outsourced to a printing company that was able to print on corrugated board, which keeps the board flexible and durable. However, the company only does the printing portion, so the frames were sent back uncut. I then spent time hand-cutting the middle parts of the frames. 

Photos by Jason Halley

CHALLENGES

The primary challenge was the cutting portion of the project. While the ID card frame was fairly straight-forward, it was incredibly difficult to cut out the edges of Willie. It required a lot of attention to detail and patience. It was a tedious task and couldn’t be rushed, so I had to be very careful. 

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The other challenge was working with such a large committee. While my client was the Office of the Provost, there was a committee working on the event as a whole. So, when I sent in proofs, it had to go through the whole committee before getting approval. Having a large committee meant that there were many people with differing opinions. It was challenging to create something that satisfied everyone, though, in the end, I believe I was able to accomplish that.

EFFECTIVENESS

The final product was very effective. Many students stopped by the event and utilized the photo-booth frames. Other departments on campus also saw the frames and requested their versions.

 

© 2017 by Brooke Tillery

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