Homeboy Heals
From there we combined these elements and crafted something that spoke to the community’s spirit of unity and rebuilding. Collage helped us emphasize the message that these people are not broken, they are reforming themselves through the help of the community around them. We designed the campaign to exist solely in print as we wanted to expand our presence within LA county by inviting current residents into a true space to call home.
I believe we successfully captured the essence of the magnetic spirit of Homeboy Industries while manifesting the community’s personal touch. Through this project, I learned the importance of not designing as if “I understand,” but instead creating with the assurance that “I am listening.” This is what my values as a designer are strongly rooted in today, and what I am devoted to continuing in my future creative endeavors.
During my time with the Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at ArtCenter, I had the opportunity to partner with Homeboy Industries. The goal was to make a marketing campaign aimed at bringing in volunteer mental health care workers – particularly of color. By prioritizing onsite research, we fostered relationships with the intent of not just creating for the lively community, but with them. In order to hear directly from the community, and to give their voices a tangible platform, we crafted a two-part, co-creation design process.
The first part of our co-creation process was a drop-box for handwritten notes, prompting folks to share what the space and spirit means to them. We also implemented a “From Their Lens'' component where we left disposable cameras at the headquarters, inviting people to capture a day in the life at Homeboy Industries.
