My project is all about connecting people that normally would not have connected. People typically do not talk with one another if they don’t already know each other, and I want to encourage people to step outside of their comfort zones and strike up conversation with people they do not know. Typically, if you’re around strangers (either at a social event or just while you’re out and about) we treat each other like convicted felons, and we believe that everyone is judging us hypercritically. We retreat into our own worlds and avoid any opportunity that could have presented itself.
I believe that this problem will best be solved by developing some sort of social campaign that I will need to brand. The campaign will involve some sort of something that brings people together, then something that they can take away with them in order to spread the concept of talking to others wherever they go. The campaign will be designed to foster a knowledge in people that everyone has something to offer.
I believe that one end artifact will not suffice at encouraging people to talk to one another. It can’t just be a book or a pamphlet because not everyone responds equally to the same thing and not every pamphlet could contain all of the information that a book could or visa-verse. I think something wearable would be a good artifact to focus on beyond the general branding of a campaign because it would provide a visual icebreaker for others to use in striking up conversation with you. A manifesto could be helpful in spreading general knowledge about the campaign and in letting people know that by becoming a part of the campaign, they’re agreeing to be open to new people and all they have to offer.
The physical tangible artifact could take the form of a shirt, a pin, or a sticker and has the potential to spread to all of those things and beyond. A manifesto in a small book format could be nice for the sake of being easily transportable and spread amongst friends. If the campaign involves one visual element, it has the potential to become customized for various types of people (red for a love of movies, blue if you’re from Missouri, green if you have sisters, etc.) which would add a layer of information that could be used as an icebreaker for others. It could also hold the possibility for people to collect the artifact of various types of people involved in the project (I have a blue pin because I met someone from Missouri, and a yellow one because I met someone that has a pet bird...).
In summation, the underlying theme is encouraging people to step out of their comfort zone and reach out and grab the opportunities that could be presented to them at any moment of any day. I hope to develop and brand a campaign in order to foster these connections, and I want anyone that becomes involved in the campaign to feel comfortable with introducing themselves to strangers and knowing that it’s okay to do so. This campaign could spread all over the region if people give it the chance. The more people that become involved, the more connections will be made, and the better off we will all be.
Notes to self:
analogue
olympic flag button- tradinging, I met someone from Ireland, new zeland, america... represented by those pins
icons based on interests?
different areas. I start this in kasnsas city and in st charles, red for kc blue for st. charles, anyone that wants to start a branch in their city could order the buttons.
fears, we fear spiders but they're just as afraid of us. Phobias, other people think we're judging them the way we fear they judge us.
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