Local artists help Gunn HS envision a campus where color creates community

Using color to help Gunn students shift from ‘bored’ to ‘excited’?

When the students of Gunn High School were asked about how the school’s current paint colors made them feel, the answer was pretty much unanimous: “bored,” “tired,” and “dreary.” In contrast, they said that a new design aesthetic at Gunn could make them feel “happy,” “excited,” and “energetic.”

Starting a conversation with students about what they want 

This reaction confirmed what principal Denise Hermann had suspected: Gunn’s drab colors were not helping to create a positive environment on campus and in fact might even be contributing to student stress. With a paint job already planned for summer 2016, Principal Hermann decided to use the design services fees in the budget to engage Gunn students, teachers and parents in a conversation about how new paint colors could lift the mood on campus.

Local design firm partners with Gunn to choose colors

After soliciting proposals from local artists, Gunn picked local firm Architarian Design, a team made up of architect Elaine Uang, artist Meg Stevens and colorist Hannah Brown, to lead the paint selection process. The catch: they only had two months to engage with almost 2000 students, along with parents and teachers, to choose the school’s new paint colors.

With experience in creating public art, community spaces and design, the team was enthusiastic about the project, despite the fast timeline. “We were excited about the idea of including students in a conversation about what they wanted for Gunn,” said Elaine Uang. “We believe in the power of design to influence well-being and this was a wonderful opportunity to help Gunn do something really different with its paint colors.'”

Quick and clever ways to gather student input

The team created a website- Paint Gunn HS– and jumped in quickly to start soliciting thoughts from the school’s stakeholders. Knowing how difficult it is to get the attention of teenagers, they went to several school-wide events where students would be gathering en masse to meet them in person. They used some clever tools to gather student input, including ‘tokens’ that could be dropped into buckets and post it walls where students could write their ideas.

“I was part of an urban ecology project in East Los Angeles that involved community mapping, so I had experience getting input from people in quick and easy ways,” explained Meg Stevens.

 

Students were asked a number of questions, including what they wanted for Gunn’s environment, how they felt about the current paint scheme and which color palate they thought would improve the school’s overall look and feel, choosing between jewel tones, neutral and classic colors. The team also sent online surveys to Gunn students, parents and teachers, and conducted focus groups.

Consensus that natural tones create calm 

The result? A consensus emerged around earth tones that would help kids and adults feel relaxed, inspired and comfortable on campus. The intense colors suggested in the jewel tone palate were deemed too stressful, and there was a desire to blend in with the natural environment that surrounds the school. Students and teachers also asked the artists to help make the exterior of Gunn as lovely as some its interior spaces, including the library, art studios and theater.

“Gunn’s landscape is an oak savannah that echoes the foothills beyond the school,” said Elaine Uang. “Students liked the idea of drawing from the leaves, bark and natural elements found around Gunn for picking paint colors.”

The surveys also revealed an interesting difference in terms of priorities- adults at Gunn wanted more signage and help finding buildings, where the kids didn’t need any help navigating the school’s large campus. As a result, new signs were not included in this phase of paint for Gunn, although this may come later.

Use color to designate shared space and build sense of community

Instead of signs, the students wanted social spaces to stand out at Gunn, especially in the school’s ‘bat cave’- a popular spot for hanging out. To reflect that need, the team included pockets of bright colors to designate these shared spaces. Students also loved the idea of murals that would bring visual focus to these shared spaces, but this will need come later as the paint budget for 2016 does not include room for murals.

“Wildflowers” selected by Gunn community as new paint scheme

After tallying in person polling, surveys and focus groups, the team boiled the paint color choice down to two options: “Golden State” and “Wildflowers,” created an online polling process and sent it out for a vote to the Gunn community. The result? Over 70% of respondents chose “Wildflowers,” a palate of soft greens, for Gunn.

A fresh look coming for Gunn in summer 2016

As Gunn gets ready for its paint job this summer, the school is excited about the new look that will await students when doors reopen next August. And perhaps more important than the new color is the sense that Gunn students were included in creating a school environment that reflects their needs and ideas.

To learn more…

For more information, visit the Paint Gunn HS website at www.paintgunnhs.com. To learn more about Elaine, Meg and Hannah, visit www.paintgunnhs.com/about.

All photos courtesy of Paint Gunn HS