INSIDE DESIGN TEAM: THE COMPOSITE SCORE POSTCARD

Travis Stanley, former Design Team student and current Wide Angle Design Team Teaching Apprentice, reflects on a the Composite Score Postcard creation process and potential impact.

Going through middle school I hardly knew what a composite score was, nor that something like this even existed until it was too late. Being involved in this project gave me the opportunity to make sure that all students from Baltimore City Public schools are informed on what a composite score is, the importance of it, and how it can affect their high school choice. Being given the opportunity to be involved in the composite score project that me and my fellow peers worked on has been a memorable moment in my life here at WAYM. Coming up with a way to advertise the importance of a composite score was a challenge. I hope in the end that with the composite score postcards being introduced to public school, students will be able to fully prepare themselves to take the next steps in transitioning to high school.

         A middle school composite score is a calculation of a students attendance, tests, and grades overall based on their 7th and 8th grade performance. Utilizing my design skills, me and a group of my peers were tasked with coming up with a way to advertise “what is a composite score”. We started off collecting data by researching the average student attendance in Baltimore City Public Schools to see how it would affect a students composite score. Then, we researched the different scores required to attend some high schools since composite scores vary based on the school. Finally, we brainstormed helpful tips and tricks for choosing a high school of your liking.

        The challenge about this project was coming up with a design using Adobe Illustrator that would catch students attention. Me and my team sat down to discuss our main focus for what the poster design should look like. We discussed colorways, shapes, fonts, and character design. In the end we were able to prototype different designs to see which design would be more eye catching to students, while also being packed with helpful information and finalizing our project decision. Throughout the process, we got feedback from our partners at BCPS and the Fund for Educational Excellence.

The composite score postcards are currently being distributed at Wide Angle’s family nights and by the Fund for Educational Excellence. They were also featured at the recent BCPS School Choice Fair at the Baltimore Convention Center.

Hi! My Name Is Travis Stanley. I'm a transfer student from Bowie State University and teaching apprentice here at WAYM (Alumni student). I've been involved in graphic design since the age of 14 and later became interested in video editing. As a designer I am able to step away from situations and analyze them closely. I find passion in verbally motivating others to surpass themselves in different ways while also expressing it through graphic and video editing.