John Hancock / Boston Marathon Graphic Banner
THE CLIENT:
John Hancock
MY ROLE:
Lead Graphic Designer / Project Manager at Artists For Humanity (AFH)
In collaboration with 3 AFH graphic design teens: Max, Tina, Natalie
THE CHALLENGE:
John Hancock commissioned Artists For Humanity to celebrate the story of “Our Boston” with an 85 ft. x 75 ft. graphic banner for the Boston Marathon—telling the story of the perseverance of all Bostonians, across race, ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status.
THE SOLUTION:
Every April, the Boston Marathon serves as a great equalizer for Bostonians from diverse communities. For that reason, the “You” in “What Gets You to the Finish Line?” is intentionally inclusive. ‘You’ is not only marathon runners but also the community of volunteers, tourists, funders, cheering friends and family, public service workers...everyone! In a marathon, everyone begins at the same place and crosses the same finish line, just as every person has their own finish line they trying to arrive at; their own goals they are trying to achieve. This graphic mural celebrates this sentiment by illustrating
the universality of the human experience, and the resilience of all Bostonians.
PROCESS:
Below are the rounds of sketches and concepts our team explored. While the goal for the banner was to celebrate and commence the Boston Marathon, it is contracted to be up and present across from Copley Square for atleast a year. We themed our designs, "What Gets You To The Finish Line," and explored that idea in a few different ways. The common theme through the marathon is this idea of a ribbon that can also looking like a raod or a path. The runners have to run through a ribbon at the finish line and their medals are also attached to a ribbon. In addition to runners, there are many other individuals that contribute to this event and the journey it takes to get there such as the cheerers on the sidelines, the volunteers, the funders, and the public service workers. More figuratively, everyone has their own 'finish line', or goals they are trying to arrive at and we intended to explore that journey throughout these concepts.
