Paint the Stars

collaborating w/ the Bloomberg Philanthropies in hopes of bringing the night sky down to pittsburgh to encourage the community to come together & paint the five-way intersection of baum grove park! ‍

When was the last time you stopped to gaze at the stars? The Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative aims to help cities around the U.S. to improve street safety by revitalizing public spaces through art. In 2020-2021, Pittsburgh was selected as one of the 16 cities to receive a grant for this initiative. Paint the Stars is our proposal as a celebration with the community through interactive materials & experiences.

The City of Pittsburgh Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, Public Art & Civic Design Division of the Department of City Planning, and the Friendship Community Group were looking for designs for this initiative. Street safety is dependent on how pedestrians associate with certain meanings! This is evident through street signs and how they calm traffic by providing visual markers. To create a visual vocabulary for a place, you first must understand the identity of the community! In addition, this experience gives a voice to the neighborhood.

Paint the Stars
02.2021 - 03.2021
Participatory Design, Branding,
Art Direction, Visual System

Co-Designer: Caroline Song

The visual system Takes the constellations from pittsburgh's night sky & translates them as authentically as possible on the road for the asphalt art.

As you move from the center of the intersection, the constellations become smaller and easier to see for everyday pedestrians. This decision was done to encourage people to stay along the crosswalk, while still being able to safely interact with the artwork. Throughout our design decisions, you will be able to see how we tried to promote conversations about street safety while bringing about an inclusive and fun experience.

Brand Identity

Visuals characterize a place in that they give contexts to create associations to an area.

This national program encourages community building & promotes public safety with art to transform dangerous intersections into neighborhood assets.

The intersection confused drivers and Pedestrians who often cannot intuit thhe "right" way to cross the streets, and for drivers who may not be sure where or when to stop.

To engage the community to sign up in painting the pavements, there are posters posted around the city to engage community members. Once participants sign up for the event, they will RECEIVE a package in the mail with several branding items to get them excited! One of the assets include a calendar marked with important dates leading up to, during, & after the painting.

postcards were also made to be shared & colored in with friends and family by using the branded crayons.

⎯ home page‍

Come the day of, there are various types of way finding to easily navigate through the various tasks.

by the park, a large calendar is placed for community events to happen. From picnics to stargazing nights, all is encouraged to update the calendar to build memories w/ one another.

permanent designs are placed to help promote CONSTANT interactions with the asphalt art.

The kiosk shows astrology signs so participants are encouraged to find theirs along the crosswalks. Stools are also spread out for people. It has a cylindrical shape so when seen from above, they mimic the constellations in the asphalt design.