My Role

Project Director

Project Duration

One Week

Problem

In this climatically diverse region we found beautiful colonial cities, active volcanoes and local farmers growing some of the world’s finest coffee. Here we partnered with the wonderful professors and design students of the Universidad del Istmo (UNIS). Our team of twenty-five designers were asked to create a regional education and outreach initiative for the municipality of Fraijanes. Fraijanes wanted its citizens to gain a greater awareness of the importance of the water supply, water conservation methods and wastewater management.

Together we immersed ourselves into the municipality and surrounding area where we gained a deeper understanding through quantitive and qualitative research methods. We we're hosted by members of the water department at various facilities, and were able to speak to residents about their views and habits during our tour of the municipality—this included a school and neighborhood.

Approach

We were lucky to be able to work at the beautiful campus of UNIS where we enjoyed Guatemalan style hot dogs and gourmet coffees — it was humbling (and delightful) to be treated as guests of honor! Here we analyzed secondary and primary research, before establishing design criteria and ideating a list of possible solutions.

The top concept was a friendly superhero called ‘Aguatemala,’ which is a combination of the words Agua (water) and Guatemala. Aguatemala has the body of a water tank and moves dynamically with water vapor. He teaches children about water resources, conservation, and the importance of keeping it clean. Through his efforts, children can become heroes too. The campaign is aimed at elementary school age children—and vicariously to their parents.

Solution

Our primary challenge was managing a large team in the creation of the prototypes of our brand character and logotype. We also designed a poster, a teachers guide (curriculum), a student workbook, a theme song, a website, cups, water bottles, stickers, and t-shirts. These were presented to officials of Fraijanes who were delighted, and hoped to implement it. They felt that Aguatemala had the potential to be scaled for use across the entire country! In the end vital connections were made between citizens and local government officials. All had gained a greater awareness and interest in the conservation and management of the municipality’s water resources.

A highlight for me was the creation of the theme song. This was inspired by our visit to the local school, where children were practicing for a parade—their xylophones sounded like raindrops.

Result

Although we continued to offer technical support, the project was ultimately slide-lined after a local election saw some of its most ardent supporters voted out of office. We hope to go back to Guatemala soon in the hopes that the project can be revived and implemented.