Road Safety Iowa is a federally funded program dedicated to providing early intervention and support for individuals struggling with substance abuse. As part of my work with this program, I designed a range of deliverables, including a logo, bi-fold brochure, business card, flyer, and a comprehensive multi-page website. These materials are used by Iowa police officers, libraries, health facilities, and schools, to be handed out to those struggling with substance use disorder. I also took the lead in developing several pages of the website, utilizing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create a user-friendly and visually appealing online presence.
During this project, we spent a great amount of time looking at who our target audience was. We compiled research about who is most effected by substance abuse, specifically its relation to drivers who are found driving under the influence. We created user stories and personas of the type of people we would be designing for.
Using this research, I began brainstorming ideas for a brand identity and deliverables that would be impactful for Road Safety Iowa's target audience. As a recovery site, I wanted my designs to be have themes of growth, health, and inclusitivity. It was important to me to remain age-nuetral, gender-nuetral, and non-discriminatory due to the scale and variety of people these materials would be viewed by.
This project was initially part of a class project in which each student in our class pitched ideas to the stakeolders of Road Safety Iowa. After developing these designs, I was chosen to work one-on-one to create further branding and refine my designs. These are the original web and mobile designs pitched.
During my time working for Road Safety Iowa, we went through many iterations in which we deeply considered our target audience and how we could relate to them through our website's experience. The goal of Road Safety Iowa is to provide a safe space for those struggling with substance abuse and educating them on dangers of driving while intoxicated. In finalizing my designs, we decided to add more road imagery, more inclusive language, and better user experience through streamlined navigation.
The goal of this brand is to provide those struggling with substance use disorder with resources. To help promote recovery, it was important to me for the messaging to be positive, inclusive, and helpful. Removing the stigma around struggling with substance abuse was a strong point of focus. The colors, graphics, and typography were carefully chosen with ideas of approachability and positivity in mind. I chose a natural color scheme to align with ideas of growth, positivity, and health. This reflects the brand goal of encouraging people to seek recovery for their substance use. To aid in this, the imagery I chose for Road Safety Iowa included nature-inspired graphics, such as leaves, plants, and flowers. I wanted the imagery across the brand deliverables to have a natural, organic look to it to feel as approachable and positive as possible.
When designing and later developing the website for Road Safety Iowa, I focused on creating a supportive, non-judgmental, and inclusive digital space for individuals struggling with substance use disorder. The primary goal was to provide resources while promoting recovery in a positive and inclusive manner. I made the language used in the site positive, using phrases such as "You are not alone", "Start your new life", and "Te problem is never too small". The landing page of the site led directly to a self assessment that visitors could take to gauge their substance use. It also featured an easy-to-use site map accordion where visitors could easily find what they're specifically looking for- whether they are someone struggling themselves, a concerned friend or family member, someone interested in the organization. To align with the brand’s focus on growth and health, a natural color palette—reflecting shades of green, beige, and light yellowss—was chosen to evoke feelings of calmness, renewal, and hope. These colors, paired with organic, nature-inspired imagery like leaves, plants, and flowers, emphasized the idea of personal growth and the possibility of recovery. The website layout was designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, ensuring that individuals from all backgrounds could easily navigate the resources and information provided.
One of the deliverables needed for Road Safety Iowa was a black and white printable flyer. This flyer is to be used for police officers in Iowa to hand out to individuals suspected of having a substance use problem. Due to the limitation of police cars' printers, it was important for the flyer to be as minimal yet informative as possible.
Stakeholders for this project wanted a deliverable that would appeal to a younger audience, such as college students. I came up with this ideas of creating pins and stickers promoting Road Safety Iowa as a brand, along with promoting this idea of a sober, healthy lifestyle that the brand encourages. These could be worn on backpacks or put on water bottles and laptops.
