A Modern Approach to Care
Community Hive Project
Problem
Traditional food drive boxes often feel impersonal and stigmatizing, designed without the recipient in mind. This disconnect highlights the need for a solution that balances function with humanity, making aid feel respectful and empowering.
Solution
This project reimagines a food drive system to prioritize dignity and humanity. With modern aesthetics and handcrafted elements, the design fosters pride, reduces stigma, and transforms aid into an empowering experience.
Mission Statement:
The Community Hive Project reimagines food drive boxes to promote dignity and pride, not just function. Designed to grab attention and inspire action, our raw, modern aesthetic emphasizes humanity and authenticity, encouraging more food donations while eliminating stigma.
Research
Research into organizations like the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Feeding America, and the Foodbank of Eastern Virginia revealed that most food drive packaging is minimal, often featuring only a logo or a generic label. While functional, these designs lack emotional connection and aesthetic appeal. The Greater Chicago Food Depository stood out for its strong branding, using organic shapes and a green palette to reinforce themes of nourishment and community. These insights highlighted the need for a more dynamic, human-centric approach that balances functionality with emotional and visual impact.
Early Logo Development
Early logo iterations explored various forms but often felt too detailed or clichéd. The design process refined these ideas to align with the drive’s mission, ultimately leading to a hexagon-based logo that symbolizes community and support.
Box Layout
Early box mockups featured a hexagonal motif, symbolizing strength, interconnectedness, and nourishment—reflecting the food drive’s mission. The design evolved to incorporate geometric shapes, maintaining a clean, modern aesthetic inspired by beehives. Initial color explorations used warm, bee-inspired tones, but a monochromatic approach would ultimately be chosen to ensure cohesion with the finalized logo.
Finalized Logo
The logo evolved through iterations of bee and hive symbolism, reflecting themes of community and support. Inspired by the hexagonal shape of both hives and side-viewed boxes, it features a hexagon within a hexagon, representing the unity of giving and receiving in the Community Hive Project.
New Box Layout
The revised boxes add personality and structure, addressing the shortcomings of previous layouts. Designed to be modern and stylish yet purposeful, they balance visual appeal with the seriousness of the drive’s mission. Additionally, it features the designated drop-off location, ensuring those who fill the boxes know where to bring them. This also highlights the partnership I had with the Basilica of Saint Mary that enabled contributions to this holiday food drive, reinforcing the project's community impact.
Left Side
Right Side
Front
Back
Top Side
Finalized Box Layout
The finalized design enhances legibility with a bold font and adopts a monochrome palette, ensuring each side contains only one color for efficient screen printing. Since the boxes were manually screen printed, this approach streamlined production while maintaining a cohesive and impactful design. To improve accessibility, the box includes a QR code for donors to easily access a list of needed items, especially for the holiday season.
Poster Design
The posters went through multiple revisions, exploring different colors before settling on green for its strong contrast and its association with growth, nourishment, and food-related causes. To maintain a cohesive visual identity, the font was updated to 'Dax Compact Pro,' matching the typography used on the boxes for a unified system. Additionally, the posters include the Basilica of Saint Mary and its office number, providing a clear point of contact for those interested in supporting the food drive.
The Rollout
On December 18, 2024, the Community Hive Project boxes were put to use during a food pantry run at the Basilica of Saint Mary. After weeks of preparation, it was rewarding to see the boxes in action, with many being used throughout the event. Some patrons had nothing to carry their food in, while others needed multiple boxes to transport their essentials. Many expressed gratitude, thanking me for considering their needs, while others simply appreciated the support. The experience was both meaningful and affirming, with moments captured outside showing patrons visibly happy with the boxes, reinforcing the project’s goal of making them feel seen and valued.
Food Drive
A food drive was held at Tallwood High School, where three Community Hive boxes were placed alongside a poster to encourage donations. The setup provided a clear and accessible drop-off point for contributors to support the cause.
The Team
This project would not have been possible without the support and guidance of directors Mr. Todd Washington and Ms. Ercelle Drayton. Their coordination and encouragement were instrumental in bringing the Community Hive Project to life during the 2024 holiday season.
