Creative communication design of Mikhail Zhvanetsky Boulevard
A year ago, the long-awaited reconstruction of Mikhail Zhvanetsky Boulevard began. We’re convinced the boulevard named after Odessa’s legendary satirist can’t be pale and dull. It can’t be “just another boulevard.”
Solar Digital team, using Mikhail Zhvanetsky Boulevard as an example, decided to show what a modern urban space could look like. It would have easy-to-read navigation and be full of creative art installations.
By the way, it was previously called the Boulevard of Fine Arts. Our blog post covers this topic in more detail.
Our main goals were to solve navigational and aesthetic issues. We wanted not only to answer the question of “How do I get to the Museum of Fine Arts?” but also to link the name of the Honorary Odessa citizen to the boulevard itself, not just in a verbal sense but also visually.
We’ve created four unique statues based on the signature poses and gestures of Mikhail Zhvanetsky.
2.5 m. tall, heavy-duty metal, elements-resistant — those things will last.
But navigation is just a bonus. The core idea revolved around iconic phrases and lines of the Great Master of Satire. That turns a casual walk into a quest, searching for your favorite quotes placed on metal monuments and stellar.
Meet the Voice of Satirist! That’s a loudspeaker installed on the central monument. Audio clips and bits from recorded performances of the Satire Genius will play non-stop.
Currently, the Boulevard has some issues with navigation, even after restoration. For example, it’s hard to tell the difference between a sidewalk and a bicycle lane. Our sign system was designed to separate pedestrian and bicycle lanes. Of course, those signs incorporate some famous lines by Maestro Zhvanetsky. And just to make sure, we’ve added floor navigation as well.
In addition to the four main statues, we’ve developed complementary art objects that help visitors better experience the boulevard as they walk.
We fought mediocrity and dullness with bold colors and catchy visuals — boulevards won’t go unnoticed with the art objects designed at Solar Digital.
Streets and walls can talk to people, even about toilets or cleaning up after your pet.
There’s even more. It was hard to stop, so we’ve added some Zhvanetsky philosophy to the steps.
Boulevard can advertise itself! We’ve made it more obvious, so the passage to the Museum of Fine Arts is very hard to miss.
“Идея пришла в его голову и теперь упорно ищет мозг”.
Mikhail Zhvanetsky
By transforming the urban environment, the Solar Digital team wants to show that it’s possible to live in a modern and aesthetically pleasing city. We want to contribute to the common cause, and we’ll be beyond happy if our initiative becomes a reality so we can walk along such a boulevard. Many locations around us need rethinking.
Solar Digital wants parks, squares, and boulevards to have their own identity design and communication systems. We believe that even the courts of residential complexes and monotonous high-rises could also be creative and friendly. Let’s join forces and design a better future for our city together.
Solar Digital is open to any form of partnership and cooperation. We already work on civil design projects with developers and construction companies, but we also do social projects. We just can’t wait to create identities for city parks and the city itself. We invite socially responsible businesses to join our efforts. Let’s create together!
To promote the project on social media, we designed banners filled with phrases by Mikhail Zhvanetsky.
Starring:
- Mikhail Zhvanetsky — MVP — Most Valuable Participant
- Kirill Solyar — Creative direction, editorial, copywriting
- Karyna Pashkova — Art Direction, navigation, and website design
- Bogdan Kozhukhar — Website design, animation and layout
- Anastasia Solyar — Illustrations
- Artur Kazimirsky, Maxim Odintsov — Copywriting and translation
- Christina Divinskaya — Research and communication, PR
- Mikhail Reva and Zhanna Kiseleva — Shared their opinion
- Nikolay Chepelev — Architectural plans
- Oleg Favelyukis — Ignited that spark to start
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