Bridging Communities: Developing a Transit Hub
TL;DR:
Role: Design Specialist, Creative Director
Context: In response to Metro's RFP for a transformative public transit hub connecting the Crenshaw area to LAX airport, WSP partnered with AECOM to present a comprehensive proposal leveraging years of technical expertise.
Challenge:
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Visually depict WSP + AECOM’s expertise and qualifications to partner with Metro to build public transit hub through a proposal
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Develop design system inspired by Metro's existing Crenshaw line efforts
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Depict integration of WSP + AECOM’s efforts with Metro’s existing efforts
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Simplify and visualize complex processes, timelines, and plans of action
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Bridge the gap between several teams such as civil engineering, business strategy, environmental research, and transit representation to present as one unified entity
How I made an impact:
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Led end to end design by:
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Researching existing data, studying areas of expertise, conducting SWOT analyses to build a foundational understanding of the team’s qualifications.
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Facilitating collaborative whiteboarding sessions with cross-functional teams to gather data on competitive advantage and qualifications
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Developing design system and assets through iterative collaboration with subject matter experts and client relations stakeholders
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Designing a proposal and visualizing complex data in the form of process maps, architecture diagrams, etc.
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Outcome/Value:
Design was extremely well received by Metro. WSP and AECOM team leveraged data visualizations to present qualification and expertise alongside the proposal during in person interviews. Team efforts led to winning Metro’s business yielding a $1Billion deal.
Skills flexed:
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Branding and visual design
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Design system development
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UX strategy
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Design thinking
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Research and data synthesis
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Layout and publication design
Challenge
The challenge was to develop a proposal for a public transit hub that seamlessly integrated with Metro's existing Crenshaw line efforts while demonstrating WSP and AECOM's expertise and willingness to collaborate as an extension of Metro's vision.
My responsibilities included:
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Developing branding and design systems that harmonized with Metro's identity while showcasing our unique capabilities
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Designing precise technical diagrams to simplify complex processes and prove our expertise
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Drive alignment between the cross-functional teams with different voices to present as one unified team
Approach
To address the challenge, I began with preliminary research, reviewing existing client materials, studying the RFP, and collaborating with technical experts to understand the project requirements thoroughly. Leveraging this knowledge, I developed a design strategy that focused on creating branding elements that mirrored Metro's identity while incorporating elements of WSP and AECOM's branding.
Execution
With a clear design strategy in place, I proceeded to create branding materials that struck a balance between familiarity and innovation, aligning with Metro's existing branding while highlighting our unique value proposition. This involved designing logos, color schemes, and visual assets that resonated with Metro's audience while conveying WSP and AECOM's expertise and commitment to collaboration.
Additionally, I lead design thinking sessions (see Process and Prototypes section below) to drive collaboration between cross-functional teams to create a repository of data. I synthesized the data to identify the core elements that needed to be present in the data visualizations throughout the proposal. With this, I designed precise technical diagrams and visuals to illustrate our proposed solutions in a visually compelling and easily consumable manner. By simplifying complex processes through visual storytelling, I ensured that our proposal effectively communicated our qualifications and solutions to Metro's stakeholders.
Outcome
The collaborative efforts of the WSP and AECOM teams, guided by a cohesive design strategy, resulted in a winning proposal that secured over a billion USD in new business for WSP. By seamlessly integrating with Metro's existing Crenshaw line efforts and effectively communicating our qualifications and solutions, we demonstrated our ability to bridge the gap between technical expertise and business objectives through design.
Conclusion
In conclusion, my role as lead designer and creative director was instrumental in crafting a compelling proposal for the public transit hub project. By creating branding that harmonized with Metro's identity, designing precise technical visuals, and simplifying complex processes through design, I helped WSP and AECOM secure a transformative project that will connect communities and enhance public transit accessibility for years to come.
Process and Prototypes
Witness the iterative design process and user-centric approach that drove the creation of this transformative solution.
