A Capstone Project Summary | Ellie Drotning

DiscoverLearn all you can.

One of the most important things I’ve learned

about design is this; do your homework! Chris Ford said, “Design without research isn’t

design—it’s guessing”. That couldn’t be more

true. Pretty-for-pretty’s-sake is art. Pretty-

with-a-purpose is design. And research is

how you find that purpose.

OneDiscover | 3

The Storyof this camp

The story goes, Phantom Lake as a camp began when

a group of boyscouts from Milwaukee decided to camp

on the shore. They spent a few days exploring, adven-

turing, learning, and growing.

On their last night, they sat huddled around a campfire

in an old sheep barn. They wanteded to come up with

a way to summarize their time at Phantom Lake. The

counselors found the right words in Luke 2:52. “And Jesus increased in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and Man.”

The boys found the right symbol. In the dirt floor they

drew a Greek “Phi”, or letter “p”, for Phantom, which they

then surrounded with a square. The four sides of the

square represent the four parts of the bible verse. Grow-

ing in Wisdom, Stature, God and Man. Today, we call this symbol the “Phantom Square.”

4 | Discover

Discover | 5

The Historyof summer camps

Camp has been cool since the 1800s. How many things can you say that about?

In world of things that get outdated before you can

open the box, summer camp has remained amazingly

constant. Many camps, including Phantom Lake, even

sing the same songs, use the same buildings, and enjoy

the same activities they did when they opened over a

century ago.

And it all got started to;

•Getkidsbacktonature.

•Givekidsanescapefromthestructureofschool.

•Fosterindependenceandself-reliance.

•Encouragecharacterandpersonalgrowth.

•Givingparentsalittlebreak.

But shh... don’t tell the kids!)

6 | Discover

Discover | 7

The Parents

Demographic: Ages 30–55.

Mid to Upper economic class.

They want their kids to: Learn.Grow.Explore.Beaccepted.Besafe.

Make friends. Have fun.

Functional benefits: Child will have a week at camp.

Emotional benefits: Satisfaction of giving your child this experience.

Self-expressive benefits: Value the great outdoors, individuality, and

the chance to be kid.

8 | Discover

Discover | 9

Demographic:

Ages 4-15.

70% girls, 30% boys.

They want to:

Have fun and make friends!

Functional benefits:

Child will have a week at camp.

Emotional benefits:

Excitement,fun,andfeelingoffreedom

and self-confidence.

Self-expressive benefits:

They’re cool. They’re fun. They’re part of the

Phantom Lake bunch.

The Campers

10 | Discover

Discover | 11

CampetitionWhat is everyone else up to?

12 | Discover

Good identies don’t blend in. They stand out

So I looked at what other camps are doing.

And what they’re doing is B-O-R-I-N-G. Do

any of these websites look like a super-duper-

awesome-good-time? And isn’t that what

camp is all about?

Discover | 13

Quotable QuotesWhat does Phantom say about itself?

Quotes are a big part of Phantom Lake

culture. They’re found on signs throughout

the camp, read every morning at breakfast,

shared during each staff meeting, and used

as teaching tools, and passed from one

generation of campers to the next. They’re

the voice of PLYC.

“The best way to

discover who you

are is to find a

place where you

don’t have to be

anything else.”

“By ol’ Phantom’s

rippling waters, where

the campfire is bright,

keep the flames of

friendship burning in

our hearts tonight.”

“Here we gather

in the twilight,

loyal friends so true.

Building in our hearts;

fond memories;

Phantom Lake, of you.”

“And Jesus increased

in Wisdom, Stature,

and in favor with

God and Man.”

-Luke 2:52

DefineDeciding what’s most important.

It’s like they taught us in elementary school.

Once you know what your paper is about, you

write your thesis statement.

I took a good look at Phantom Lake and chose

what story was I going to tell.

Two16 | Define

Define | 17

Attribute ListingWhat does “summer camp” bring to mind?

This exercise helps me “get into the world”

of a particular subject. I helps me make

associations, find connections, and make

references that relate.

Canoeing

Fishing

Crafts

Friendship bracelets

Lifelong friends

Truth-or-dare

Flashlights

Sleeping bags

Ghost stories

Tents

Cabins

Woods

Lake

Family-for-a-week

Hugs

High fives

Secret handshakes

Silly skits

Memories

S’mores

Hot Dogs

Campfires

Care Packages

Laughing

Outside voices

Singing

Songs

Silly songs

Heartfelt songs

Counselors

Cool counselors

Silly counselors

Sunscreen

Sunburns

Sunglasses

Bug bites

Bug spray

Swimming

Desired Image

AttributesThe key words. The jist. The story.

These are the traits that set Phantom Lake apart.

They’re also Phantom Lake’s strongest qualities;

the ones they can hang their hat on.

20 | Define

Carefree

Welcoming

Wholesome

Quintessential

Define | 21

22 | Define

BrandPersonalityIf Phantom Lake were a person...

It would be your favorite counselor.

They would have the wisdom of a lifetime; and the silliness, fresh eyes, and energy of a child.

They would encourage you to try new things. If you

wanted to learn to fish, they wouldn’t hesitate to give

you a pole, put a worm in your hand, and let you hook

that little sucker yourself.

They would share wisdom and advice when you fight

with your best friend.

Then he’d burp the alphabet to cheer you up.

Define | 23

DesignNow for the right-brained stuff.

It’s finally time to start making the pretty stuff.

So I found my inspiration, got out my sketch

book, and started designing.

Three

Get InspiredWhat strikes a chord?

Next, I went on a image round-up. I looked

for anything and everything that conveyed

the “camp feeling” or the Desired Image

Attributes. Packaging, identities, websites,

photos... you name it; I cut-and-pasted it.

Design | Inspiration

Sketch TimeGetting the creative juices flowing.

I rediscoverd the importance of sketching

during this project. It’s so easy to plop down

at the computer and start designing. But it’s

not efficient or effective!

Sketching helped me flush out bad ideas,

recognize better ones, and turn my ideas into

visuals; before ever touching a mouse.

Refine ItPutting all the pieces together.

Finally! All that hard work pays off. It was

time to get on the computer, start playing

with typefaces, colors, patterns, ect., to create

something that looks like Phantom Lake.

The Logo

Color

Phantom Lake’s colors were maroon and navy.

I kept the same basic colors, but gave them a

little more energy, pop, and youth.

Script Typeface

Meet “DreamLover”. This typeface evokes the

nostalgic, good ol’ fashioned persona of camp,

while still being current and fun.

Slab Typeface

This is Museo Slab. It’s another pseudo-

old-timey typeface that looks like it would

be right at home on a wooden sign.

No Phantom Square?

While getting feedback on earlier itera-

tions of the logo, people old me that the

Phantom Square looked like; A) Green

Lantern, or B) A frat symbol.

I realized that the Phantom Sqaure is

something that only hold meaning for

those who already know about it.

The Elements

There’s the Phantom Square!

People with strong ties to Phantom will expect,

need and INSIST that the Phantom Square be

visible in the identity.

But because of it’s confusing connotations, I

couldn’t have it front-and-center.

So, I included it in this supporting pattern.

This way, it’s like a hidden little secret shared

only by members of the Phantom Lake family.

A Voice for the Kids

Phantom Lake is special because of the em-

phasis on indiviual expression, growth, and

identity. Incorporating handwritten messages

speaks to that value and brings a sweet, fun,

childish voice to the identity.

Business System

Website

Promo Items

Uniforms

“The world

is not camp—

and that’s too bad.”

-Michael Eisner