Step 5: Design

Now that your class has a purpose, place, and plan for the project, it’s time to design.

Reflect on the results of your initial surveys. How will the needs of the community and the goals of the project be reflected in the final design? The type of green space you decide on will impact the design. For example, a pollinator garden and an outdoor meditation space would each be designed differently.

Considering factors such as color, line, and composition, work on conceptual designs for the green space. You could draw a landscape plan, make a 3D prototype, compose a digital draft, or create an abstract representation with photographs, paintings, drawings, or animations.

While more detailed work can be completed indoors, take the opportunity to do work on preliminary sketches or studies in the actual soon-to-be green space. How does working outside influence the creative process?

As you formulate ideas, challenge yourselves to consider the long-term impact of the proposed green space design. What will the green space look like one year from now? What about five years? What about in summer when class is not in session?

Dig in Deeper: Decide on a name and logo for your project to go on signs, flyers, and t-shirts. How can you make your project recognizable to the community?

Resources

Designing a garden:

• “How to Design a Better Wildlife Garden” from the National Wildlife Federation
• Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s “Ready, Set, Design” lesson

Choosing successful plants for your area:

• Find plants by zip code that host significant numbers of butterflies and attract birds by the National Wildlife Federation 
• Pollinator Partnership Ecoregion Planting Guide 
• Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
• USDA Plant Database
• Ask for recommendations from your local cooperative extension service.