Wildfire Prevention and Preparation Campaign

About the Project

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In the Spring of 2022, ArtCenter partnered with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the American Red Cross Pacific Division, to host an interdisciplinary Designmatters studio. The studio challenged ArtCenter students to learn about the specific dangers of wildfires in California and to create a compelling statewide multi-modal campaign that encourages residents to take direct preventable action. Through digital research across a variety of platforms and media, the campaign had generous input from a variety of experts in the fields of science, disaster planning and firefighting.

About Wildfires in California

Wildfires have been a natural part of the California landscape for centuries; however, recent record-breaking destructive and deadly fires have put the state on a continual high alert fire season. As of November 8, 2021, more than 3 million acres in California have been burned because of 8,300+ fires.

According to CAL FIRE, climate change is considered a key driver of these mega-blazes that have decimated communities, claimed numerous lives and continue to contribute to an ecological unbalance with a loss of trees/plants and wildlife.

Warmer spring and summer temperatures, a reduced snowpack and an earlier spring snowmelt creates long and more intense dry seasons – making forests more susceptible to severe wildfires.

Research and Project Development

To introduce students to the realities of wildfires in California, partners from CAL FIRE and the Red Cross gave a kick-off presentation that outlined the nature of wildfires, the history of managing the land in California and today’s prevention/protection strategies.

Students learned that overall, fire has been part of the natural history of California, a necessity that encourages new growth. From the 1960s onward, the focus has been on how to coexist with wildfire, especially in light of climate change and other factors. Experts and officials realize that the public cannot solely rely on local fire departments to solve the problem of increased fire dangers– the public needs to play a part in the solution.

Through discussions with students in a lively Q and A session, a tone was set for the campaign – avoid the use of scare tactics and focus a design message that is encouraging and will motivate the target audience of homeowners living in areas with a high risk of wildfires. Additionally, the needs of vulnerable populations need to be considered, especially those with low incomes, older adults, non-English speakers, and others.

Students were introduced to a wealth of online resources available to homeowners who want information on how best to “fortify” their homes, yards and communities against wildfires. Homeowners need to assess their surroundings objectively to discover their specific fire risk and how to address those potential problem elements. Videos were shared that described personal stories of fire loss and the human side of the aftermath of fire.

The experts brainstormed with the students about campaign elements: it needs to lead with positive reinforcements, involve storytelling and encourage a change of how wildfire protection can represent a cultural shift of attitude. How can gamification be incorporated into the design? Can a campaign get people to embrace change and see problems with a different attitude? How can tapping into the mystique of California help lay the foundation for such a campaign?

The campaign needs to feel fresh with nontraditional ideas but still guide homeowners with practical resources. “How can we make ‘being safe’ cool?” remarked one expert summing up the design work ahead of the students.

Working as one team, the students conducted research to examine what makes for a successful (as well as unsuccessful) multi-disciplinary campaign, especially ones that are sponsored by governmental agencies. In particular they examined the successful “Dumb Ways to Die” campaign from Australia that promoted safety around crossing railroad tracks. They dug into what would motivate their target audience which they determined to be Baby Boomer and Generation X homeowners.

To help students understand how best to use elements of storytelling to communicate science facts, Dr. Lucy Jones visited the class and led an energizing conversation with many examples. A longtime seismologist and public voice for earthquake science, Dr. Jones founded the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society in 2016 to help facilitate the use of science to create more resilient communities.

Additionally, students toured a local fire station and met with firefighters to understand the culture and mentality of those in fire service. Students had the opportunity to ask questions about fire safety and how homeowners can play a role in keeping their homes and community safe.

In preparing for midterm presentation, students divided up various aspects of the campaign, but continued to brainstorm over-arching strategic concepts as well as specific details.

Further examination into their target audience group – Baby Boomers and Generation X homeowners – students decided to fashion a campaign that would appeal to the audience’s sense of nostalgia, as the first generations of California Cool with a psychedelic, hippie vibe. Riffing on the concept of iconic Laurel Canyon musicians in the 60s, students wondered how writing and producing a song – a memorable jingle – could amplify their message in catchy toe-tapping beats.

From their research, students determined that often traditional agency language can be confusing and off-putting to homeowners. The phrase “Defensible Space” is an important concept that describes the necessary physical distance around homes that should be clear of brush to keep structures fire safe. Students decided to re-brand the phrase as “Buffer Zone” which presents a friendlier and more inviting descriptive which is also less militaristic and harsh.

Students created graphics sketches, illustrations and even digital animations to show what a Buffer Zone would look like, making the brush clearance task appealing and easy for homeowners to accomplish.

Delving into the psychology of motivation, students opted to appeal to the residential pride of being a Californian. Students wanted to add a reward component to the campaign to encourage active participation, an item that would feed into this collective and individual sense of pride. Different items were considered: badges, pins, patches, etc.

These strategies were folded into the campaign’s sensibilities that would be lighthearted, fun and engaging as it tapped into iconic California culture motif and mood.

Midterm Presentation

With partners in attendance, students shared their strategy, concept and designs, outlining the thinking behind their choices and the decision that this campaign will ‘not be boring,’ and would appeal to a homeowner’s sense of pride.

Students reiterated the challenge and how it informed their overall messaging approach. They explained the elements of a successful, memorable campaign and how they will be incorporating those aspects into this campaign.

To appeal to their target audience, an original song was written and recorded by Alexandra Hope; a solo female singer on guitar with English and Spanish lyrics. The song would be the backdrop for the visual animation short/PSA. Character design and animation was shared as well as a bilingual website that would feature fire safety resources and information on a reward system.

Partners shared their enthusiasm for the project, offering constructive criticisms and suggestions for expanding and honing specific elements. All agreed that appealing to pride and presenting a campaign that is fun – instead of fear-inducing – is desirable on many different levels. Students were motivated to refine individual components and add others to create a robust campaign.

After midterm, students focused their attention on creating a fully fleshed out animated message to accompany the original song. Backgrounds and character designs were created. The specifics of how the reward system would work were ironed out along with final design concepts. Finally, the website, social media posts and ancillary materials were flushed out to make them visually connected to the larger campaign.