DISCOVERY QUEST
Central Michigan University hosts an extensive recruiting event called Discover CMU. The occasion brings hundreds of high school students to campus, where they experience what it's like to be a CMU® Chippewa. Each student receives an individualized schedule based on their career interests. They then rotate through a session on admission and financial aid, a residential hall tour, and a short presentation from their prospective college.
The College of Business Administration wanted an active and unique experience different from the other colleges. I worked with the Office of Student Engagement and Professional Development to design a scavenger hunt throughout Grawn Hall. Upon arrival, the students would receive a quest card and split into groups. They would then be guided around the building to meet with professors, experience spaces, and participate in hands-on activities. At each of the four stops, the students would receive a sticker that visually represented the theme of the destination. They were also encouraged to ask one of the questions on the back of the cards. After compelling the quest and filling the card with stickers, the students received a prize of freshly made kettle corn.
Project
Discover CMU Scavenger Hunt Map and Stickers
Client:
Office of Student Engagement & Professional Development,
College of Business Administration,
Central Michigan University
Role:
Art Direction, Illustration & Graphic Design
Quest Cards
A pirate treasure map from a children’s book inspired the quest cards. The intention was to bring a feeling of nostalgia to the visiting students. We wanted to invoke a sense of wonder and whimsy without being too childish. The students were between 13 and 17. They wanted to be treated like adults but were still young enough to enjoy spectacles and fantasy.
Using a Wacom tablet, I loosely traced an outline of Grawn Hall. Taking the straight lines of the building, I converted them into loose shores of land. It looks like a coastline to the viewer, but when lined up with a map, it is unmistakably Grawn. Adding to the fantasy, I drew dotted lines to represent the paths taken by past explorers.
The circles represented the different stops the students would take. I placed each in its exact location on the map. As a guide, I included small icons in the circle to indicate where the stickers should go. The final touch was to add a worn paper texture to give the card depth and age.
Stickers
For the stickers, I kept them within the exploration theme. I wanted them to complement the cards but also stand out on their own. I went with a clean, modern, and flat illustration style. By utilizing the shape of the coastline and the dotted pathways as the background, I made the stickers perfectly line up with the map. The icons represent the theme of the stops. An airplane circling the globe illustrates real-life experiences; two hands clutching a wheel portrays hands-on learning; a rocket ship blasting off into space showcases innovation; a light-house shining along the coast displays self-discovery.
