The Patch Project
Winner of a Bronze Creative Conscience Award 2021.
Product and event to encourage children with Autism, ADHD and sensory needs, to exercise their senses.
Challenge:
As a result of COVID19 and the national lockdown, the public has realised the growing need for green space, especially those who live in built-up cities and flats. The lockdown saw an increase in purchases of online plant subscriptions, to bring the outside in. Access to green space is just as important for mental health as it is for physical health, as many people use plants as a form of therapy. One thing that was lacking was access to plants for children, especially the children that may benefit from them the most. Children with Autism, ADHD and sensory needs have hugely suffered as a result of the lockdown, being forced out of a routine and kept indoors due to the pandemic. Their development into adulthood hugely relies on the practice of sensory development and the regulation of their emotions. This meant there was a huge gap in the market to provide these children with sensory planting.
Solution:
The Patch Project aims to bring back the therapy of planting for children with sensory needs, both in the home and during a pop-up event. Children with sensory needs fall into two categories of over-sensitive or under-sensitive, these categories mean the children need to exercise their senses, in controlled circumstances, in order to help their development into adulthood. The Patch Project offers a series of 5 boxes to be ordered, delivered and planted at home, each plant in the series will link to one of the 5 senses. It allows children to engage and control their senses at their own pace, from the feeling of the soil to the sound of the water. Along with the boxes, The Patch Project organises pop-up sensory gardens inaccessible areas around the UK, creating a controlled family-bonding experience in person.
Not only do the boxes give children their own responsibility, but the event and boxes also enlist the help of parents too. A huge part of a child’s development involves family and parental bonding, it reminds children that all grown-ups are there as a safety and support. Whether the child has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), or just enjoys planting, the patch project is here to help them take control of their senses.
Visual Identity:
The visual identity was created and developed through the experimentation of cutting paper, painting, stamping and sticking. I began by developing an entire typeface, by cutting out the letters, to reflect a fun child-like look. I then developed illustrations for each themed box and used the same process of cutting out paper, to develop the overall look for the brand and the individual identity for each of the senses. The illustrations include the visual texture of various plants to add another dimension to the identity and activate the senses further, as well as bring more character to the look. The colour and shapes are carefully considered for children with Autism, ADHD and sensory needs, as to not overwhelm them, but to still create an element of fun and vibrancy. Each box uses the same interactive and portable packaging, to engage the children and reduce waste. The packaging opens like a flower, with removable infographics, which follow the same style and essence, as the illustrations.
https://www.creative-conscience.org.uk/winners/megan-charlton/
