STORY

Since it's launch in December 2016, the Maker[Space]Ship has brought high quality maker and tech related programs and experiences to 34,000 San Jose residents in all neighborhoods of the City! With its collection of maker equipment and robotics, including a 3D printer, laser & vinyl cutter, a robot petting zoo, and a full suite of laptops and tablets, the Maker[Space]Ship provides the perfect way to blast off into STEM orbit!

OBJECTIVE

The initial ideation for the Maker Space Ship look and feel called for a futuristic/sci-fi slant. Much reference imagery was shared around by stakeholders with themes of space exploration and bright, vivid colors.

RESULT

I started with several design themes that took the visuals in sharply different directions, A typography-heavy gray bus depicting the bus’s slogan in several commonly spoken south bay languages (English, Vietnamese, Spanish). The second design idea was less about graphics and more about depicting potential users to make it appear accessible and friendly. The last design idea was pure visual opulence with bright, saturated colors against a black background, evoking the feeling of space. Additionally, the backend of the design features a blueprint pattern illustrating all the potential uses of the maker space.

The spaceship logo for the bus was designed by a teen volunteer in a special promotion.

Final design

In the end, the clients decided to go with the third option. The template we were given by the vendor to design on ended up being different from the final bus, so adjustments were made to accommodate that. Iterations with different layout and scaling of objects are reflected.