Interventions

2019 2018 2017 2016 2015

Interventions

Isabel Zoulinaki

Glasgow School of Art, United Kingdom

Social Impact - Photography / Print / Illustration / Graphic

Category Winner

Design geared toward environmental protection and social interaction. Interaction design in the light of reciprocal communication between humans. Interventions in order to make peoples’ lives better. This is an aspect of the designer’s social function and responsibility; the wish to take part in the creation of a better world. Hence, we design for communication. We design in order to transfer ideas visually, universally and effect change. For the environment, for the society, for the children, for the world.

Interventions in Recycling

This project has been developed during the Design Innovation course at the Glasgow School of Art and it regards the formulation of social interventions. That is, first of all, the investigation of the everyday social situations and the collection of insights and potential problems that are created. Then, the collected insights are used in order to reveal potential opportunities and solutions that in short, will make some situations in people’s lives easier or more pleasant.

My decision about a potential intervention in the social context through design, regarded the crucial issue of recycling in Glasgow. After some insights concerning the low engagement of the citizens with recycling, it was observed that a good opportunity could be the establishment of a further interaction between humans and recycle bins, targeting especially adolescents and children.

Visual Communication

Concerning the communication of the project, an illustration of different typographic elements has been made in order to draw the attention of the public and communicate better the main ideas of the project. The letters are defined by a particular typographic system that allows them to fluctuate in size, change their position in space and act in a dynamic way. They are illustrated with reference to Art Nouveau and C.R.Makintosh, as this period is considered determinant for Glasgow and the Glasgow School of Art.

The font family complements the additional illustration on the bins; a more humorous approach derives from the personification of the recycle bins, which are represented as hungry monsters.

This plays also an important role as it incarnates an inanimate object and transforms a bin into

a monster that makes sounds when someone throws rubbish inside, through its open mouth. Apart from the illustration of the bins, this representation can be used for educational purposes regarding recycling, through applications, games and visual stories, as in this way, the young users can become more interested and more engaged in the future.