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Question:
We are planning a shared school/community playground and are at the stages of presenting to the public. We have a buzz around our community of the idea of a new space. The space that exists is a early 70's play equipment so many are excited to see new equipment. If we change the space to three elevations we can actually gain more usable space. That is where the project is at this point. The vision is there, but to portray it to the public it is in the drawing or design to SHOW the public that has us stopped in our tracks. The biual is the key to our support from donors. Because it is a playground during school hours and a community playground after, we want to show a visual as a park atmosphere with playground equipment. The design for the public will be the crucial part of selling it to donors. Playground companies are limited and showcase their equipment and landscape designers can create the park vision. Im looking for leads we turn combine their talents for our vision.
Answer:

Thank you for your question. Improving parks and other community facilities is an important task. The Community Tool Box has a nice section on this topic that you might find useful as you move forward. 
I agree with your assertion that a powerful visual has the capacity to help multiple stakeholder groups connect with the project. While I cannot provide specific advice on graphic lay out, I would suggest that you consider adding user participation to your process, creating a space and process for the end users to share and co-develop an image that represents what they would like to create. There are several methodologies for doing this that often incorporate visual aspects. Photovoice has been utilized widely to capture user perceptions of assets and needs that can inform design and increase engagement. Creative placemaking and Design Thinking approaches can also be used. In each of these, the end user of the service (in your case the kids and families that will utilize the playground) help define their needs and desires for the space and can use collaborative art, photography, word clouds, etc. to paint a picture that is energizing and reflects their hopes for the space. You could pay a designer a lot of money to develop a beautiful image, but if it is disconnected from user perception, it may not create the type of enthusiasm and engagement that you desire.
Best of luck on your important project. 

Question Date: Wed, 04/19/2017