Thanks to the Edmonds Art Festival Foundation and Artist Missy Hancock, whose children attend CPE, I was asked to design and participate in painting this mural pillar project that brought diversity and a more colorful atmosphere to the children that attend this public school in Edmonds, WA.
Mural Pattern Design Collab at College Place Elementary School
First step pick which countries will represent the space
At first I received, around 40 photos of a cultural festival that took place at College Place Elementary School in Edmonds, Washington.
We were needing to narrow to just 8 countries that will represent diversity in the space for the school community.
Step two, translating costumes into vertical pattern designs
As a designer on this project, I faced the challenge of translating the diverse fabrics and traditional costumes of the children and families in this community—many of whom come from different countries or cultural backgrounds—into cohesive pattern designs. After carefully selecting eight patterns that represented the major cultural groups, I created vertical layouts in Illustrator. The most important part of the process was ensuring that the design could be easily understood and executed by volunteers, many of whom spoke different languages but were eager to contribute.
Peru Pattern Design
Malaysia Pattern Design
Mexico Pattern Design
Mexico Pattern Design
Norway Pattern Design
From color palettes to outlines and final color versions, I was able to deliver templates that could be used by children, parents, and local artists .
We were grateful for the project being highlighted in the local newspaper:
“We gathered together to choose which patterns we will work with and from which country. Choosing the first ones was the hardest part. We want all the community to feel represented. And then translating the costumes to a pattern design digitally was challenging since I have to commit to a deadline to have these seven patterns ready before starting the painting phase.”
Read more about the impact this project had at College Place Elementary in the Edmonds Local Newspaper