What is going on?
As I near the end of my time living in Isla Vista, I have watched the parking situation evolve from a minor inconvenience into a significant community issue. With more vehicles than available parking spaces, our densely populated community faces increasing congestion, safety concerns, and mounting strain on its infrastructure. Throughout my time in Isla Vista, I have never owned a car, and I have found that its walkable layout and accessible transportation options make personal vehicle ownership largely unnecessary.
This portfolio seeks to dissuade unnecessary car ownership in Isla Vista by depicting the stress and frustration caused by the community's parking shortage. Drawing on themes of horror and anxiety, my projects recreate the emotional experience of searching for parking while persuading viewers to consider alternative forms of transportation. At the same time, this portfolio demonstrates my ability to use a variety of digital media, design software, and editing programs to communicate a persuasive message through visual rhetoric.
To reach my intended audience, I developed three projects. The first is an interactive Padlet that curates news articles, academic research, and resident perspectives on Isla Vista's parking crisis. The second is a social media campaign that combines alarming statistics with horror inspired visuals to evoke anxiety and encourage viewers to rethink owning a car in Isla Vista. The third is an image/text project that continues this horror aesthetic by pairing photographs of Isla Vista with dreadful typography that captures the frustration and uncertainty of finding parking.
Ultimately, addressing Isla Vista's parking crisis requires a cultural shift in how residents think about transportation. By choosing to walk, bike, or use public transit whenever possible, community members can reduce congestion, ease parking demand, and help preserve the walkability and character that make Isla Vista a special place to live.