POLYGONE
Branding | Graphic Design | Product Design
Background
During my time at PolyGone Systems as the Assistant Designer, I worked on the product design of PolyGone's leading product, the Plastic Hunter microplastic monitoring device, the architectural design of the ACUA Microplastic Educational Exhibition Pavilion, and the redesign of company's graphic and marketing materials to better fit the company's identity and marketing direction. The work includes a series of projects that span across my time at PolyGone, from company brochure design, to exhibition designs.
My Role
I was the Assistant Designer on the team, working closely with the company's COO and CTO for design feedbacks. My responsibility was to lead the design from start to finish and report to the COO and CTO.
Timeline
Plastic Hunter microplastic monitoring device: 1 month
ACUA microplastic educational exhibition pavilion: 4 months
Company brochures: 1 week
Company exhibition booth design: 3 weeks
Objectives
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Optimizing readability and aesthetics of the graphic and marketing materials
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Following and improving the branding identity of the company
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Expanding company influence in the industry
Plastic Hunter microplastic monitoring device
"Plastic Hunter" Microplastic Monitoring Station
The second-generation prototype of the Plastic Hunter device is a stationary monitoring device used in mild-turbulence open water for monitoring microplastic density. The overall structure is composed of modular floating components and 8020 aluminium bars. The modular characteristic gives customers options to modify the size of the pontoon for their site conditions and specific needs. The crossing bars hold PolyGone's unique microplastic capturing filters.
ACUA Microplastic Educational Exhibition Pavilion
The Product in SERVICE
Design Scope
The ACUA microplastic educational exhibition pavilion is an annex structure for the microplastic removal demonstration pilot project at Atlantic County Utilities Authority in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The project was designed to demonstrate PolyGone's microplastic removal system in the equalization basin at ACUA Wastewater Treatment Facility to a wide range of audience, including water industry professionals, government institution representatives, university professors, scientists, news media groups, and time-to-time visitors/students on tour to the facility. To accommodate the wide range audience, the design proposed an visually appealing form that guides visitors through a storyline of microplastic, introducing its characteristics, its origins, its appearances, and how PolyGone deals with the problem with new methodologies, guiding the users to understand the importance of PolyGone's mission.
Design Proposal
The early proposal depicted an ambitious outdoor experience that provides users a serious of interactive installations that optimize the learning experience of the exhibited subjects. After first round of communication with manufacturer, we realized that it was a bit over our budget. So in the second and final proposal, I preserved the most crucial exhibited objects and designed curation devices that optimize visual experience while maintaining low manufacturing cost.
First Proposal
Second Proposal after Budget Cut
Final Refined Proposal
In the design process, I prioritized the storytelling of the exhibited materials. The story starts with a hook: a PolyGone's microplastic filter brush covered in fluorescent microplastic particles in a dark cylindrical chamber under white light and UV light. Users can switch between two lights to see the almost-invisible microplastic particles shining under UV light. Following is a crucial part of the exhibition: the characteristics of microplastics, including the sources, the forms, and the harm. The third part of the exhibition is the story of PolyGone: including the evolution of PolyGone's microplastic filters, PolyGone's lab analysis process, and PolyGone's project info and future vision.
The Built Pavilion On Site
Company Brochures
Existing Brochures
The existing company brochure has low readability, due to the clustered content. The layout is fragmented into small pieces filled with small images and small texts, which makes it harder to read quickly in a busy trade show context.
New Brochure Design
The new brochure design I proposed focuses on highlighting key information that readers will be looking for, including flagship product, main services, professional projects, key achievements and important partnerships. Utilizing white spaces and a clear and simple layout guidelines, the new design is trying to convey a sense of professionalism to readers. The four-folded design makes it compact and at the same time easy to open and read.
Company Exhibition Booth Designs
London Oceanology International 2024 Conference
The company exhibition booth at London Oceanology International 2024 Conference consists of a show table surrounded by 3 background walls. The design focuses on introducing PolyGone's mission to remediate microplastics pollution. I utilized three background walls to display three categories of content: the problem & solutions, the achievements, the services & projects. These created a complete narrative to visitors that are not familiar with microplastic pollution or are interested in novel applications in this field.
