COLAB Project- Greenwood Community Forest

Greenwood Community Forest – COLAB Project Overview:

As part of a 4-person collaborative team, we engaged in a creative sprint to develop a campaign for Greenwood Community Forest, based in Nottinghamshire, focusing on enhancing its appeal to Gen Z audiences in and around Nottingham. Our goal was to reposition Greenwood as a modern-day retreat—a place where mental well-being, nature, and community intersect.

Project Purpose:
The brief challenged us to increase social media presence and engagement with Greenwood, especially among university students, by:

-Highlighting the mental health benefits of green spaces.

-Promoting environmental awareness and active participation.

-Strengthening Greenwood’s online presence through bold, relatable content.

Main Idea / Campaign Concept:
We branded Greenwood as a “natural escape” from the pressures of urban life—a place to relax, recharge, and reconnect. Our messaging emphasized emotional resonance, using humor and authenticity. We chose platforms like Instagram and Facebook to connect with our target audience through:

-Short-form Instagram reels

-Playful motion logos

-Visually rich posters, stickers, and mockups

Team Roles and Collaboration:
Throughout the design sprint, we collaboratively:

-Analyzed the brief and defined our target audience.

-Explored creative touchpoints for brand visibility.

-Held brainstorming sessions to divide tasks based on strengths.

My roles included:

-Leading illustration and collage design using Photoshop.

-Creating motion graphics in After Effects to enhance digital engagement.

-Developing engaging slogans and copy for “Get Involved” posts.

-Experimenting with cohesive visual elements, like patterns and trails, across all posts.

Skills Applied and Developed
Creative Direction: Translating abstract concepts into compelling visuals.

Collaboration & Communication: Gained confidence sharing ideas and working as a team.

Technical Tools: Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, and basic motion design techniques.

Branding: Maintaining consistency with Greenwood’s identity while appealing to Gen Z.

Challenges Faced:
Overcoming initial anxiety about group collaboration.

Balancing creativity with brand guidelines.

Ensuring designs were inclusive and accessible while staying bold and modern.

Risk-Taking & Initiative:
I pushed boundaries by integrating experimental collage styles and gradients, testing a more modern aesthetic for a traditional nature brand.

Took creative initiative to design motion logos—an element not explicitly asked for in the brief—to amplify social media engagement.

Deliverables:
A full suite of social media posts tailored for Instagram and Facebook.

Promotional posters and stickers with custom illustrations and slogans.

A set of motion logos and animated content for digital use.

Visual campaign assets designed to inspire user interaction—hashtags, challenges, and “Get Involved” callouts.