In collaboration with my peers, we created a booklet containing individual contributions surrounding graphic design history in Charlotte, North Carolina. We gathered three design artifacts, conducted research about each piece, and wrote a summary highlighting their significance. This research was then organized into a collective booklet. Each peer also submitted their three found artifacts to The People’s Graphic Design Archive. The Eastland Mall logo I submitted was recognized and reposted by the PGDA on their Instagram page!
This project helped me discover how much I enjoy uncovering the origins of design artifacts and conducting graphic design research. Learning the intentions of successful designers can spark inspiration and provide opportunities to approach design from a different lens. All three of the artifacts I presented are related to Eastland Mall. While I never had the chance to visit the mall myself, I know several individuals who frequented and cherish memories made there.
This research project was further explored with the creation of a linocut print of the Eastland Mall logo with typography which was displayed on the main entrance. A series of twelve prints were produced in a custom hand-mixed ink imitating the mall’s iconic green color for the purpose of distributing them to individuals whom I have personally connected with throughout the research portion of this project. Although the mall no longer physically exists, its legacy lives on in the hearts of those who experienced it.
Eastland Mall was not an ordinary shopping mall for Charlotte, North Carolina residents. Before construction began, this mall was designed to revolutionize shopping experiences and to be a place where memories are made. It did just that. This project explores three key pieces of design surrounding the promotion and environment of the mall such as the mall’s and Ivey’s opening day ads published in the Charlotte Observer, as well as the mall’s logo. All three of these graphic design pieces point back to the mall’s purpose; rest and cherish the moment while shopping with leisure. Eastland Mall’s physical space encouraged shoppers to sit and talk by offering several seating areas surrounded by lush gardens and water fountains. The mall also featured a large indoor ice-skating rink in the center lower level, and if visitors took the staircase from the rink area to the upper level, there they would find the first in-mall food court on the East coast at the time.