top of page
Englewood Interactive Mural – AR & Community Storytelling

An immersive mural concept blending AR, soundscapes, and community history for a vacant lot at 63rd & Elizabeth.

Community Project · AR & Experience Design · Team of 3 · 10 weeks · Figma · InDesign · Illustrator · Adobe Aero · After Effects
Overview

A collaborative project with the Englewood Arts Collective exploring how AR and sound can revitalize a vacant lot.Our final proposal turned the space into a layered storytelling environment with murals, AR markers, sculptural seating,and ambient soundscapes rooted in community history and everyday experience.

Project Scope

  • Reactivate a vacant lot for the Englewood Arts Collective.

  • Use AR overlays and sound to tell layered neighborhood stories.

  • Incorporate history, memory, and community narratives into the space.

  • Apply counter-mapping practices to challenge top-down views of Englewood.

  • Develop site-specific concepts for 63rd & Elizabeth.

My Contribution

  • Team member in a group of 3 designers.

  • Helped create visual development for AR interactions and mural motifs.

  • Helped map movement flow and interaction points across the lot.

  • Designed signage, pattern studies, and presentation layouts.

  • Assisted with sound & AR prototyping in Adobe Aero and After Effects.

Research & Insights

  • Studied how AR can preserve memories and amplify overlooked histories.

  • Looked at counter-mapping and community-led placemaking precedents.

  • Researched smart benches, kiosks, and solar-powered public furniture.

  • Noted needs for seating, shade, walkability, and perceived safety around the lot.

Concept Development
AR Mural System

Designed AR mural systems throughout the lot with different effects. When you walk into the proximity of the lot, different murals reveal stories, historic images, or animated elements that connect residents to Englewood's past and present.

image.png
Placemaking Smart Benches Installation

Proposed solar-powered smart benches that play ambient soundscapes and incorporate a smart kiosk on the back, offering charging ports, LED security lighting, and interactive community-mapping features such as resources, murals, opportunity lots, real-time updates, and wayfinding.

Site Layout & Movement Flow

Mapped how people enter from 63rd Street, where they naturally pause, and how AR and sound nodes can guide themthrough the mural, seating, and planting zones while keeping sightlines open for safety.

image.png
image.png
Flowchart for Mural Soundscape Protoype _ Echo Grove.png
Final Proposal – Interactive Mural & Gathering Space

The final concept combines a bold mural, interactive AR layers, sound seats, pollinator planters, and modular signageinspired by African textiles and local visual culture. Color, pattern, and sound work together to spark joy, curiosity,and storytelling while framing the lot as a safe, intentional gathering place for Englewood residents.

Challenges And What I Learned

  • Translating community history into AR and spatial storytelling.

  • Balancing visual ideas with real-world site constraints.

  • Learning Adobe Aero + new prototyping workflows.

  • Coordinating decisions across a three-person team.

Outcome

Delivered a complete proposal to the Englewood Arts Collective and strengthened my skills in AR design, spatial storytelling, and collaborative research. This project now anchors the community-focused side of my portfolio.

bottom of page