2021 Sketchbook: When Design Empowers Community-Led Initiatives

This year’s Sketchbook process was both fun and meaningful.

Initially, I was not sure which project would be the best 2021 Sketchbook feature until WaSH  – the public handwashing stations designed in response to the pandemic.

PAYETTE partnered with the Lynn-based non-profit organization Beyond Walls in responding to this urgent need creating stand-alone, hands-free wash stations throughout the city, enabling a return to public spaces including parks, playgrounds and outdoor dining areas.

WaSH was one of 17 finalists, out of 150 entries nationwide, in the 2020 AIA Film Challenge  – a 60- to 90-second mini-documentary film highlighting architecture projects that are transforming communities through the power of design and collaboration, under the category Health – a project in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We later developed WaSH’s extended family – FoLD – a unit serving as a deployable enclosure system for restaurants that makes outdoor seating safe and accessible.

Perfectly demonstrating the use of design to empower community-led initiatives, and in response to the ongoing pandemic, WaSH & FoLD became the right project duo to be featured in this year’s Sketchbook. These projects have also sparked more conversations beyond our firm.

When it came to selecting the right cover stock, I made some clear rules beforehand that it needed to meet the firm’s material goals; it needed to be strong enough for an entire year’s usage, yet easy enough to break down when the mission is accomplished. It should also help to build our corporate social responsibility profile.

After reviewing many samples, this eye-catching stock in a bright, fresh grass color immediately caught my attention. It is made from plant fibers and certified 100% compostable. Half of the materials came from grass cut from meadows and painstakingly harvested and dried to achieve the long-fibered structure that is indispensable for a voluminous paper. The paper was produced with zero CO2 emissions. The heavy weight option also adds extra protection to the cover. I call it the perfect cover stock.

The decision was made relatively quickly with pride and excitement, and it works well with the letter pressed simplified graphics featuring FoLD. I couldn’t be happier when I learned that this specific paper stock was chosen to be “The most sustainable papers for 2021” by Katie Kubrak on Nirvana Creative Production House.

Inside the cover, there is a more detailed sketch of WaSH with a short description explaining our initiatives.

New to this year’s Sketchbook, we replaced the old black & white calendar with a color version – the top section in our signature magenta for 2021 and the lower section in black for 2022.

Let us know how you like this year’s Sketchbook!