About Us
The idea for bloombox was developed with the goal of creating an innovative platform for people to share and view creative work. As artists, students, performers and directors, we recognize the significant roles of technology and creativity in our everyday lives. We grew up in the age of social media and have spent most of our years online. Being constantly confronted by an oversaturation of digital content led us to seek alternatives to the (in theory) creative-sharing social networks that we’ve always known. Mail, physical art, and analog environments instantly came to mind, and thus the concept for bloombox initiative started to grow.
Sample Submissions
People can submit poems, recipes, small 3D art, photography, and really any creative work that they want to share. We invite those engaged with bloombox to get creative and share their work!
Personas
bloombox caters to library-goers aged 25 to 44 in Toronto and London and appeals to their natural instinct to share and view creative work.
Branding Guide
Dropbox Designs
We chose to focus on a palette that would appeal to each of our personas while not coming off overly “cutesy” or “childish”, but still invited a sense of playfulness – something gentle, accessible, and timeless. Each bloombox could vary in decoration based on the location, but would utilise the same approachable palette. Similarly, each bloombox would display a QR code with a direct link to our website, and a description of the initiative in a legible and accessible font somewhere on the box.
bloombox Locations
Libraries are known as centres of community; as somewhere to come together in pursuit of knowledge; as hubs for public access to technology; for providing countless resources and learning opportunities; as a place to find connection; for sanctuary. Some people rely on their local library for person-to-person interactions, others find comfort in the aisles of books, knowing there are opportunities inside every cover. For over 2,000 years, libraries have preserved history and helped communities to bloom. Today, those who continue to use library services are a part of a heritage that celebrates the sharing of knowledge and furthering of creativity. For this reason, we see libraries as the perfect partner in the bloombox initiative.
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Toronto Metropolitan University Library
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The Toronto Reference Library (known to be the World's Busiest Library)
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Lillian H. Smith District Library
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Sanderson Branch
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Parliament St Branch
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Spadina Rd Branch
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St Jamestown Branch
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Harrow Library at The University of Westminster.
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The Barbican Library (London Centre)
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The British Library (the largest library in the world)
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Waterloo Library (Lambeth)
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John Harvard Library (Southwark)
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Holborn Library (Camden)
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Finsbury Library (Islington)
For our pilot project, we would hope to install the first drop boxes in Downtown Toronto, and Central London. Based on the demographic we hope to engage with this initiative, these libraries would be those with full accessibility (pedestrian, cyclist, public transport, AODA compliant) , centred in neighbourhoods with high-traffic library membership and attendance, as well as in lower traffic libraries in areas where the patronage is community focused and creative, to encourage submissions with unique experiences across different neighbourhoods. These libraries would also need adequate indoor space for housing the box, computer access for participants to navigate the bloombox initiative web page, and a desire to engage in community arts projects. For the initial installation, we have selected six libraries in each city which would fulfil the requirements outlined above as well as the TMU Library and the Harrow Library at The University of Westminster.