Eye-catching playground design from a 2D logo

Case Study

Client:

Ministry for Social Development (SEDESOL), Mexican Federal Government

Sector: Public (national government)

Year: 2008

About:

The nationwide ‘Rescue of Public Spaces’ programme aimed to improve urban areas in marginalised communities. Our client wanted to create an ‘institutional element’ with their logo, as an interactive centrepiece installed in each space renovated during the programme.

Challenge

Having approached several companies for a suitable solution, our client was frustrated to receive proposals which just added their logo onto an existing piece of playground equipment. They wanted to create a piece which would encourage interaction with their logo and came to Neko for a more creative solution.

Solution

Working closely with our client, we decided on an emblematic playground piece based on the logo. This would bring an eye-catching focal point to each project and allow visitors to interact with the logo in a novel way. After studying the logo and its component parts, we began to convert it from a 2D image to a 3D product, deciding that a climbing structure would be the perfect solution.

As there was a target price for this product, we designed it meticulously to optimise production processes and reduce cost, while still maintaining the essence of the logo. The 20 colours of the original logo were reduced to 10 in the final design. Overlapping and rotating sections of the piece created an attractive visual effect.

As the ludic object was intended for use by children, we designed it to be compliant with US guidelines for playground safety. We delivered two final designs, to appeal to the different budgets and requirements of the final purchasers.

Results

The ‘Ludic Object’ was selected by the national government to be manufactured and installed in all the public spaces nationwide which benefitted from the ‘Rescue of Public Spaces’ Program.

We worked with a local manufacturer to produce and deliver over 1200 of these elements. The factory, which had been on the verge of closure, was given a new lease of life as a direct result of their involvement in this project.

The interactive nature of the three-dimensional logo was evident in the media coverage which our client received, with many pictures of children climbing our design for a photo.