Let’s Stay Neighbors
Sarah Cremering, Yasmin Ali, Josh Krauth-Harding, Will Callis, Erica Heathcote, Matt Nielsen, Tracee Hartley
CLIENTNeighbor To Neighbor, Quicken Loans Community Fund
TIMELINE
3 months
What do we know about Property Tax Exemption?
We started by building some contextual knowledge about the PTE program and policies. We took a look at Detroit’s history first, tracing back our steps to understand the complex systemic issues, leading up to today.
We also audited the application process from different perspectives including — how to fill it, Neighbor To Neighbor’s current outreach and brand.
What can we learn from people who have been through this process before? What about people who will benefit from it?
Our guiding principle for this project was — we are learning from people who have been through this process, we are not the experts. We involved ourselves in a volunteer-led workshop for filling out PTE forms, cold-called residents to talk about PTE and talked to different residents who had been through the process multiple times.
Our biggest themes — Trust & Access.
We identified different research themes that spanned across awareness, access, trust, stigma, language and safety.
Most of these themes largely correspond to the lack of trust in the policy itself, and logistical barriers a to finish the application.
To increase awareness of PTE, to strengthen Neighbor To Neighbor and help those who need it — we decided to tackle the issue of trust — by creating a unified visual identity for Neighbor To Neighbor and a designing a bold campaign for PTE. For logistical barriers, we decided to create DIY mail-in application kits and overhaul the language on the application form itself to make it easier to fill.
First iteration & feedback loops
Our first round of presentations to our stakeholders — Neighbor To Neighbor organizers, Quicken Loans Community Fund, Detroit City Council and resident Detroiters — was an informal walkthrough of our process (crazy walls with many notes and drawings) as well as some initial prototypes of deliverables. We proposed the following;
Brand & Campaign
A loud and bold identity that empowers people to take charge of their homes and encourages them to apply for PTE — this was our vision for Neighbor To Neighbor.
We also wanted to be strategic about our campaign, using social media, wheat paste posters, grocery bags, volunteer identification and radio ads.
DIY PTE Kit
A Do-It-Yourself Kit inclusive of resources (bus routes, notary lists and workshops in the are) and dates to remember to fill out the Property Tax Exemption applications from the comfort of their homes. This would mean less going out to collect paperwork, and directly mailing it in to the location.
Guided PTE form
The complex and jargon-y language of the original PTE form makes it difficult for people to understand how to fill it — and almost impossible for those who have a different first language. We worked under the guidance of The Work Department to create instructions using simple words which would aid ESL speakers in comprehension
Neighbor To Neighbor’s new identity
Inspired by the grid system of Detroit’s neighborhoods, infused with bold lettering while keeping the mark from the old identity, we presented the new vision for Neighbor To Neighbor.
Social Media & Motion
I used bold colors and blocky motion to reiterate the essence of the brand.