VOLUNTARY DESIGNER for COMMUNITY
2024
Japanese Organization of NICU Families (JOIN, 日本NICU家族会機構)
About JOIN
The Japan Organization of NICU Family Associations (JOIN) is Japan’s first network connecting children receiving perinatal care, their families, and family associations. JOIN aims to foster a society where every child, regardless of birthplace, can access high-quality medical treatment and care. This unique collaboration offers support and advocacy to ensure that children admitted to NICUs and their families receive the necessary attention and resources.
Website of JOIN: https://www.join.or.jp/
My Contributions
Graphic design
Projedt Goals, Challenges and My Approaches
In preparation for World Prematurity Day, a key annual milestone for JOIN, I supported the design efforts as a voluntary member to help promote JOIN’s mission throughout Japan and support its goals.
Collaborating with two directors, Dr. Arimitsu and Kaori, I was initially tasked with designing a poster to introduce over 50 family associations across Japan. This poster was intended for display at the WPD exhibition held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, accompanying a light-up event. As the project progressed, additional requests included a second poster to explain the significance of World Prematurity Day and a message board design for visitors to leave post-it messages.
To meet these needs, I began by creating wireframes with all requested elements, even if some would later be refined or removed. Through iterative review and feedback sessions, we reached final designs that resonated with everyone involved.
Although working remotely posed challenges, such as being unable to visit the event venue to test the designs, collaboration with the directors and other volunteers ensured the posters were successfully completed and well-received.
(Photos of the presentation of posters at events will be added after mid of November 2024)
Key Takeaways
Collaborating with stakeholders unfamiliar with design processes often means navigating vague or broad requests. As designers, we should guide them by clarifying their ideas, identifying goals, defining priorities, and specifying media formats.
When encountering requests that challenge design principles or add limited value to users, it’s more effective to illustrate potential issues visually and propose alternative solutions to foster consensus.
Consistently explain and reaffirm the purpose of your design proposals, while maintaining adaptability, as priorities may shift or new requests may emerge during the project lifecycle.
Flexibility, open-mindedness, and the ability to adapt are key when navigating dynamic and evolving input from various team members.