This signage system was created for the Culinary Institute of America at the onset of COVID, with the goal of encouraging students and staff to follow new health and safety protocols. The challenge was communicating serious, rapidly changing information without relying on fear or generic institutional messaging, building on a collaboratively developed messaging framework while translating it into a clear visual concept and cohesive design system.

The campaign incorporated humor and inside references drawn from campus culture, featuring familiar chefs, instructors, and culinary language to make the messaging feel personal and relatable. I focused on translating these ideas into bold, legible visual designs for mostly outdoor campus signage, with a few indoor pieces, ensuring the signage spoke to the CIA community in its own voice, increasing both attention and compliance.

Bold color fields, oversized typography, and high-contrast layouts ensured the messages were legible at a distance and easy to scan in high-traffic outdoor spaces as well as indoor hallways and kitchens. Each poster delivers a single, clear instruction, allowing the system to function consistently across campus.

By balancing authority with approachability, the campaign transformed public health rules into shared responsibility. The result was a signage system that felt specific to the CIA community, reinforcing safety protocols while maintaining the personality and culture of the campus.