Social Communication Design

It has long been brought to my attention that most people are not aware of the power we hold in shaping the identity of an environment. A simple gesture as saying hi to a stranger and indulging oneself in a quick conversation may in fact make someone's day better, and ultimately enstill a wonderful memory of the location in the person's mind. The particular sidewalk, busstop, or a bench will become identified as the place of an enjoyable memory, and even become a recommended place of destination for others.
   This can be brought to a realization by a simple design ornamenting a part of the environment. Perhaps next to a bench or a usually crowded area of the street. The proposed initial step is a poster. The poster would contain a logo which would invite the viewer to an understanding of the significance of greeting. A simple poster which would be reproduced and widely spread around a chosen city, in this case New Brunswick, would contain a person and the words 'say hi'. after a while of seeing the design daily in the streets, it would be known for its purpose, and as a result people would be reminded to greet and perhaps even engage in a conversation with the common stranger sharing the sidewalk, bench, or a busstop.

This design would create a great form of communication, where people would be inclined to greet one another on the street. It would ultimately help people identify the place as a place of friendship and even happiness. Communication is an important aspect of life which must be excercised in a higher dose in order to advance intellectually and avoid the silent but deadly take over of technology which presents itself in computers, cell phones, or ipods that prevent people from true one one one interaction.

A design specifically geared towards pedestrians on sidewalks would enhance the poster's effect and create an immediate response at the sight of both. Such sidewalk design would require the overall reshaping of its original dimensions. The standards which it originally adheres to would narrow down, meaning the sidewalk would be literarlly created as a narrow walkway from one place to another. This narrow path would force the pedestrians to share even a smaller space and have them closer to one another. This strategy of having a poster promoting greeting exposed to the community right before the reconstruction of the sidewalk would ensure that the person will at first understand the message attempting to be pushed through and ultimately practice it when budging shoulders in a fairly contstrained walkway.

This design would not only become an architectuaral and a conceptual feat, but would also portray the importance of a step by step process which is meant to slowly bring the people to communicate with oneanother at areas where everyone is a stranger.

crowded sidewalk

'say hi' poster