A brief design portfolio outlining four of my projects.

1. Megan Braley, M.I.D.
Industrial Designer, Researcher and Communications Strategist
832.661.9837
megandesign@meganbraley.com
www.meganbraley.com
This portfolio includes four design and research projects.
Thank you for your time and consideration.

2. Climate Change and The American Southwest Climate Change and The American Southwest Climate Change and The American Southwest Climate Change and The American Southwest
Educational Poster Series from Gray is Green: The National Senior Conservation Corps Educational Poster Series from Gray is Green: The National Senior Conservation Corps Educational Poster Series from Gray is Green: The National Senior Conservation Corps Educational Poster Series from Gray is Green: The National Senior Conservation Corps
1 3 5 7
The U.S. Desert-Shrub Ecosystem Southwest Temperatures Are Global Warming Changes Snow to Rain
is Changing Rising Rapidly and Rain to Episodic Downpours Water Stress Will Extend Eastward
This diagram shows the extent of
the United States’ Desert-Shrub
Ecosystem, reaching from close to By reducing the amount of snow falling on
Great Basin the Canadian border to Mexico, mountains, global warming has reduced
where it merges with the Mexican Western snowpacks by as much as 75%
Desert-Shrub Ecosystem. (EPA), changing runoff from a source of
relief in summer dry spells to spring floods,
which are of less value to farming and to
Mojave dry climates generally.
Sonoran
Percent Change
Chihuahuan -80% Trends in April Snowpack In the Western
The Four North American Deserts -60%
United States (1950-2000)
Data provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural
-40% Resources Conservation Service Water and Climate Center
The largest of the deserts is the Great Temperature Change (�F per century): (www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov)
-20%
Basin Desert, extending east of the
California border to Salt Lake City.
Rate of Temperature Change by Physical Water Scarcity Projected Global Water Scarcity
The other deserts are the Mojave, the -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 State and Region, 1901-2008 Extreme One-Day Precipitation Events in the Water resources cannot meet population for 2025
Data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Data provided by the National Intelligence Council, Global Trends
Sonoran, and the Chihuahuan Desert, Administration’s National Climate Data Center Lower 48 States (1910-2008) demands. More than 75% of river flows
are allocated to agriculture, industries, or
2025: A Transformed World, published by the International Water
which is expanding north from Mexico, (www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html) 25 Management Institute, IWMI, Annual Report 2007-2008, pg.11
deeper into New Mexico and Texas. domestic purposes. (www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/world_maps/water_scarcity_2025)
The United States Has Warmed at Nearly Twice the Global Rate 20 From Ordinary Rain to
Downpours
Percent of Land Area
Approaching Physical Water Scarcity
Rising U.S. Temperatures Rising World Temperature More than 60% of river flows are allocated.
Downpours pelt crops, overflow
In this century, water stress
15
3 3
These basins will experience physical
Temperature anomaly [°F]
Temperature anomaly [°F]
1901-2009 trend: +1.25°F per century 1901-2009 trend: +1.28°F per century
1979-2009 trend: Surface: +5.05°F per century UAH: +4.00°F per century 1979-2009 trend: Surface: +2.93°F per century UAH: +2.30°F per century storm sewers, and flood culverts
water scarcity in the near future.
will extend east and north
2 2
10
and underpasses. In desert-
1 1
shrubland, downpours refresh
The Great Basin Desert The Mojave Desert The Sonoran Desert The Chihuahuan Desert 0 0
groundwater, but often runoff
into Texas, Oklahoma, and
-1 -1 5 too quickly to penetrate dry,
Little or No Water Scarcity parts of Kansas.
caked soil. Abundant water resources relative to use.
-2 -2
Earth’s Surface Lower Troposphere (measured by satellite) Earth’s Surface Lower Troposphere (measured by satellite)
UAH
Less than 25% of water from rivers is
UAH 0
-3
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
-3
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
withdrawn for human purposes.
Source: http://clminternship.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/DSCN0441.JPG Source: http://www.sheltoweehikes.com/IMG_0922.jpg Source: http://www.edupic.net/Images/Biomes/tonto_desert138.JPG Source: http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ynz-PpOfY1Y/SB4HOfsoyEI/AAAAAAAAAdo/LUwJOIz6U9Q/P3210395.JPG
Year Year
Data Source: NOAA, 2010 Data Source: NOAA, 2010 Data Source: NOAA, 2009 Year
Gray is Green The National Senior Conservation Corps
Gray is Green is an environmental education, action, Applying Human Factors Psychology Re-engaging Members and Recruiting
and advocacy organization for senior citizens, New Followers
currently based out of North Haven, CT. When I
to Information Design
started working with the organization in late 2010, I met with Robert E. Lane, PhD, the Founder and I recently designed a poster series focused on
they were undergoing a major transformation. They President of Gray is Green, to discuss aspects of Climate Change and the American Southwest. I
were in the process of merging with the National human factors that could be applied to the design designed each poster to tell a cohesive, powerful
Resource Defense Council (NRDC) in New York of their resources. As people age, it becomes more story, and incorporated all of the design aspects I
City, and were concerned that they would lose their difficult and frustrating to read small text. I pointed had previously discussed with Dr. Lane. We then
identity. I am helping Gray is Green redesign their out that this frustration could be leading to a lack put the posters on exhibit at The Whitney Center, a
outreach materials, so that they can re-engage their of engagement from their members. Together we retirement community located in Hamden, CT, in
audience and recruit new members. are increasing the font size used in their documents, order to gain feedback from their residents.
while also shortening the overall amount of text.
Designing for Senior Citizens I am also teaching them to use grid systems and Gray is Green has received positive publicity
powerful, engaging colors in the development of and increased response from their members.
The organization develops tools for senior citizens
their resources, so that their viewers are drawn in
who are often overlooked by environmental
and can easily navigate the presented information.
conservation groups. Gray is Green recognizes that
seniors have significant political and financial leverage.
However, while the organization’s resources are
directed toward people over the age of 65, many of
the organization’s existing resources lack the design
aspects necessary to engage older people.

3. Growlots Philadelphia http://growlotsphiladelphia.com
Philadelphia is well known as the city of brotherly love,
the home of Rocky, and the foundation of this nation. Equalizing the Movement’s Resources
What is less well known, is that Philadelphia is home
to hundreds of urban gardens, and an urban agriculture to Reduce Competition and Increase
movement that has been gaining momentum for the past Communication and Collaboration
40 years. Throughout this period, new organizations
have been developing rapidly, and an increasing number The existing fragmentation had made it nearly Instead of a movement comprised of hundreds
of individuals have become interested in growing in the impossible for our stakeholders to visualize their of organizations developing similar products
city. However, a lack of collaboration has prevented the contributions as a collective effort. My team and I and services, we designed a collaborative system
movement from developing successful citywide urban worked to eliminate the names of organizations by with products and services organized into nine
agriculture initiatives. emphasizing the work everyone had accomplished.
categories representing the key components of
We described this concept as, The Power of Coordinated
Exposing the Underlying Problems Key Findings Efforts, which we defined as “the ability to put WHAT
urban agriculture.
To better understand the issues blocking collaboration, is being accomplished, before WHO is contributing
the work.” All of the city’s resources are now organized in an online,
my design team and I collected exploratory data • Current urban agriculture efforts are fragmented,
collaborative, content management system. Growlots
through fieldwork, interviews, literature reviews, redundant, and inefficient.
With this concept in mind, we organized the Philadelphia is a resource database and a communication
and contextual research. We visited nonprofit
movement’s resources based on their functions and networking tool, that has helped our stakeholders work
organizations, and volunteered at community gardens. • Fragmentation prevents people from finding and
roles within a system, not their developers. together to develop innovative services.
We then outlined our key findings and presented using the numerous resources available to them.
them to Philadelphia’s Department of Parks and
Recreation. In 2009, we began working with the city to • A centralized hub is necessary to organize all of
develop a strategy for improving communication and the available resources. Urban Agriculture Resource Categories
collaboration within the urban agriculture movement,
while also raising public awareness of the city’s urban • Progress is slow because the future plans of the
agricultural development. stakeholder groups do not align.
Observing Group Dynamics and
Encouraging Participatory Design
Through a series of interviews and focus group meetings, It soon became clear that the histories and Growing Gardens Composting Planting Fruit Trees Keeping Bees Marketing Your Goods
my team and I developed a number of tools to help our reputations between our stakeholders were and Urban Farms
stakeholders prioritize the problems facing the city’s getting in the way of collaboration.
urban agriculture development, while simultaneously
working together to propose solutions. During each Also, a lack of communication between our
meeting we used dialogue mapping and brainstorm stakeholders led to redundant efforts and
activities to keep the conversation on track. We also overwhelming frustration.
observed each of our participants to gain a better
understanding of the emotions and attitudes present in Distributing Your Meeting Your Peers Impacting Teens Advancing Children
each meeting. Goods and Adults

4. “Waste Equals Food”
Our three-part system connected efficient storage, a
backyard garden, and a composting unit located under
the kitchen sink. Food scraps that are usually thrown
Postgreen Homes
away and wasted, are placed in the composting unit to
be transformed into nutrient rich soil, which is then
added back to the garden to “feed” the existing soil
and produce. This system creates a closed-loop cycle,
Postgreen is a real estate and development firm which draws inspiration from the concept of “Waste
specializing in modern, green, and affordable homes in Equals Food,” developed by William McDonough.
Philadelphia’s urban neighborhoods. The company was
interested in updating the kitchen design used in their
energy-efficient homes. A partner and I were hired to
research and design a concept for an Extreme Green
Kitchen. We had just completed a four-month project
at the University of the Arts focused on green kitchen
design, so we were able to offer Postgreen a holistic
strategy for developing their Extreme Green Kitchen.
Collaborating With Postgreen’s
Core Buyers
Nic Darling, the Chief Marketing Officer, and Chad
Ludeman, the Company President, began Postgreen
with a blog entitled the 100K House. They quickly
gained a large community of followers interested
in their mission and their 100K homes. Postgreen’s
numerous subscribers were an incredible resource. As
we researched and developed our design, we posted
various entries on the company’s blog in order to
gain valuable insight from their followers. We used
Postgreen’s blog as a tool to co-design with the
community.
Our Final Kitchen Design Included:
Helping Homeowners Cook Green • Only green materials • A NatureMill Automatic Composter for odor-free
and Clean composting (even dairy, meat, and fish)
My team and I not only focused on the design of the • All energy-efficient materials
kitchen, we also focused on the kitchen’s place within • A Sun Frost Refrigerator located under the island
the continuous cycle of growth.We developed a three- • A recycling drawer consisting of three removable counter (cuts energy consumption by 80%)
pronged system that made it fast and easy to dispose bins, next to the sink for quicker, cleaner disposal
of waste sustainably, reduced indoor toxins, and saved • Two Rolling, Mobile Units that either fit under the
clients money. We also incorporated modularity and • A Footfaucet for water-use efficiency (foot pedals counter for more open space or lock in place next
adaptability in our kitchen design, to fit the small and turn water on and off) to the island for extended counter space
compact nature of Postgreen’s homes.

5. 19147
social concern portrait cultural landscape history figurative abstract youth
2. Investigating Zip Code Zones
10 Our citywide research showed that the mural’s
# of murals per year
9
8 content is often determined by the amount of crime
7
6
in the area it is created. For example, murals discussing
5
4
issues of social concern are often located in the areas
3
2
of highest crime, whereas murals depicting landscapes
1
0
are often used more for their ability to add beauty
Murals Against Crime
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
to a space.
3500
Next, we studied individual zip code zones to further
# of crimes per year
3000
2500
examine the relationship between the amount of
Today, Philadelphia is the world capital of murals. Mapping the System 2000
crime in an area, and the number of murals created
Upon entering the city, murals can be seen at every 1500
to combat that crime.
corner. Initially, the murals appear to be a form of city A partner and I became interested in studying 1000
beautification. However, after researching The Mural the relationship between murals and crime more 500
For each zip code in Center City, we mapped the
Arts Program (MAP ), the organization responsible for closely. We felt that if we were able to prove 0 number of crimes occurring each year from 1999
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
creating many of the city’s murals, it is clear that the the effectiveness of MAP’s initiative by visually through 2006, and compared that to the number of
thefts robberies burglaries assaults
murals have a deeper meaning. For the past 25 years, mapping the connection between murals and murals created each year from 1999 through 2006.
lowered crime, other cities battling crime could We chose to look at these eight years because they
MAP has used murals as a method for combating 3. Analyzing Crime/Mural Relation In
10
# of murals per year year
benefit from MAP’s work by utilizing the model 9 offered the most accurate crime rate documentation.
Philadelphia’s high crime rate. When beginning a new
they offer. a Two-Block Radius 8
10
mural, the program encourages the involvement
# of murals per
7
9
of inmates at local correctional facilities, troubled Our zip code research showed that in most cases, more
6
8
youths, and community members, in order to create To examine the entire system, we mapped murals were developed in the zip code5zones with the
7
a collective ownership of the mural that ensures it our collected data on three scales: highest crime.We also found that in all4of the zip code
6
3
zones we studied, the crime rate steadily decreased
5
will not be destroyed by graffiti in the future.
1. Citywide, 2. By Zip Code, and 3. A Two-Block Radius 2
4
over the eight year period we had examined.
1
We found that in each of the cases, the
3
1999 2000
0
2 addition of a mural significantly lowered
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Wallace St. To better understand the relationship 1
between crime
W.
M levels and nearby murals, we chose one mural from crime in the surrounding area.
N 35th St.
ast 0
er S 1999
each zip code to examine more closely. We mapped 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
W. t.
G irar
dA the crime in the specific location over a 6-month
Race ve
St. Po period beforeperiod in 1999 was created.
6 mo. and after the mural 2001 6 mo. period in 2008
Fai pl
Spri rm ar S
St.
ng G ou
arde nt At. 6 mo. period in 1999 2001 6 mo. period in 2008
4th
n St ve.
.
S3
Vin
St. e St.
S 33rd Exp
Rac
Arche St.
y
1. Citywide Examination
St. south st.
Mar Our first step was to map
Che ket south st.
St.
Wal stnut S the general location of murals south st.
nut t
St. . south st.
Spr
Pineuce St
(represented by squares) and
12th st.
12th st.
.
Sou St. crime (represented by circles)
th S
t.
12th st.
12th st.
Fitz
wa throughout Center City, in order
St.
ter Spirit of Creativity 1210 South St.
t.
Ch
t.
to visualize the areas where
hS
t.
ris St.
h
hS
dS
t.
tia
28t
26t
St.
hS
St.
Was n
24t
St.
hing St. murals and crime overlapped. Spirit of Creativity 1210 South St.
22n
t.
h
20t
ad
Wh ton
t.
h
hS
18t
13 murals & 18,874 crimes occured in19147
arto Ave
hS
16t
Bro
St.
nS .
St.
t.
12t
St.
St.
From 1999 to 2006
10t
8th
6th
From 1999 to 2006 13 murals & 18,874 crimes occured in19147
4th
2nd