Case Study: projectOPEN
Company: Brute Labs
Web site: www.brutelabs.org
Project Manager: Joshua To

First Guide Version Designed: June 2005
Guide Updated & Distributed: February 2009
A .pdf of the guide is available here

Defining the Problem
Los Angeles and other cities have growing problems with homeless populations. They say that almost 70% of American cities have laws that directly impact homeless communities and that the lack of awareness about these laws leads to a number of arrests and decreases the chances for homeless people to get back on their feet. There are little to no resources in many areas to educate the homeless as to what laws impact their immediate living conditions such as blocking the sidewalk, panhandling, alcohol laws, etc.

Envisioning the desired end state
Based on what they knew about homeless populations in Los Angeles, the team developed some principle goals that they would be aiming for with projectOPEN. Primarily they wanted to provide a resource for homeless people to create awareness of the laws, locations of shelters and safe houses, and to increase the chances that they will be able to find employment and regain their footing.

Defining the approach by which victory can be achieved
To meet the goals of the project the team came up with four objectives for the guide. The first was to provide a map that could guide homeless people to organizations that specialize in services for the homeless. The second would show on the same map where any citizen could go for free services, including homeless people. These first two objectives would have homeless people looking for assistance in the right areas and keep them out of trouble from seeking out services in areas where it would be illegal to do.
To keep the homeless out of further trouble the next objective was to include a section about personal rights and encourage them to stay out of trouble. The guide included several facts about laws affecting the homeless and gave several reasons as to why it was a good idea to comply with those rules. For example your right to ask for money is protected by law but if the person says no and you continue to ask it becomes aggressive panhandling and is a punishable offence.
Finally the guide needed to be portable. There is a lot of information available on the guide and for it to be portable would insure that it will continue to be a useful resource for those carrying it. In addition to the portability it needed to be displayed as a poster so that many people would see is and raise awareness.

Inciting Support and then action
After achieving some success since 2005 the team decided to pursue a grant through UCLA in 2009 in order to get the original map revamped and to get prints made. They were approved to make 1000 copies of their map and they went out to deliver them to over 30 organizations in the Santa Monica area. The recipients were greatly impressed by the quality of the maps and the team found that there were people willing to provide volunteer services towards the project.

Making sure people know about your solution
The team at brute labs was able to rejoice after an honorable mention in the 2005 Adobe Design Achievement Awards for environmental graphics. Then four years later after the remake of their guide for homeless people they again received positive attention by winning an AIGA cause/effect award in 2009. Most recently thought the project has been selected to be showcased in the Pasadena Museum of California Art Exhibition as part of the California Design Biennial 2010: Action/Reaction. For more information on this see the press release here.