Centro unveiled three new Connective Corridor buses decorated by six Syracuse University students at the St. Patrick's Day parade in downtown Syracuse Saturday.
The new designs were part of a contest started by Denise Heckman, associate professor of industrial and interaction design in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, in November 2008.
Heckman, who works closely with the Connective Corridor - an initiative to connect the school with the downtown Syracuse community - said she divided the two sections of her typography design course into six groups for a last minute project to design new buses purchased by Centro for the Corridor.
The winning group's design combines animated characters and bright colors, and includes depictions of Otto the Orange and legendary SU tailback Ernie Davis.
"We wanted the buses to stand out," said Ana Mihai, a junior industrial and interaction design major in the class and member of the winning group. "It needed to be interactive, so we came up with the idea of silhouettes and went with it."
Her group used vivid reds and oranges -- colors that are already part of the Connective Corridor palette.
The design competition came from the observation that many people are still unaware of what the Connective Corridor is and question its effectiveness, Heckman said.
"When you design a neighborhood, it has to have enough character that people can identify," Heckman said. She said buses with designs unique to the Corridor will help define the neighborhood's identity.
To get an idea of what to put in their designs, students met with professors, community members and local artists at SU's Warehouse to listen to suggestions and opinions, Heckman said.
Sam Thompson, a junior in the class whose group incorporated the dots from the Corridor logo to create a visual illusion, said he was surprised to see how involved community members were.
"I'm not used to dealing with the bureaucracy of the city," he said. "There were a lot of people who were interested downtown, who wanted to offer their input."
The three new buses, designed specifically for the route, will replace the current buses and will be different than any other Centro bus, Heckman said.
The buses will be shorter - measuring 34 feet, compared to the 35- to 40-foot Centro buses - and will accommodate less people to reflect the smaller ridership, said Steve Koegel, director of marking and communications at Centro. The buses will also run on biodiesel fuel and cost $336,000 each, compared to the more than $350,000 a typical Centro bus costs. The most distinctive feature on the new buses will be the front window, he said, which will be much larger.
The final design is printed on plastic that will wrap the entire bus. 3M, a global technology company that specializes in graphics displays, wrapped the buses. As the plastic is heated, it shrinks and adheres to the bus, Heckman said. Wrapping entire buses in shrink-wrap is a rising trend in many cities and considered more efficient because it doesn't deteriorate easily, she said.
The shrink wrap is expected to last three years, Heckman said.
Timothy Patch, a junior industrial and interaction design major, said his group's designs were influenced by artists like Shepard Fairey, designer of Barack Obama's 2008 campaign logo, and Banksy, a graffiti artist.
Participants met at the Warehouse in early December for presentations and the final decision.
Judges included Maarten Jacobs, chair of the 40 Below Public Arts Task Force, a Syracuse-based volunteer organization with goals similar to the Connective Corridor, and Koegel from Centro.
Jacobs judged designs for its creativity and simplicity, he said. Meanwhile, Koegel judged the designs from a technical perspective. There were certain rules that students needed to abide by, Koegel said. Windows on the sides of the buses had to be blank so the drivers could see. The majority of the top of the bus must be blank to leave room for a bold printing of the bus number so that police helicopters can easily spot the buses if needed, he said.
Heidi Olean, a junior industrial and interaction design major on the winning team, said she feels like the project was beneficial to participants.
"I thought it was cool because so often you're in school and you're given assignments that don't have real world application," Olean said. "Nothing ever gets done with them. This felt much more worthwhile."
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