Zen Quek Illustration and Visual Media The coronavirus outbreak has forced the world into a standstill, yet despite such turbulent times, creativity continues to thrive within the design community. Its been heartwarming to observe how creative communities have been supporting one another, resulting in a surge of collaborative projects. The Nationwide Degree Show was one that instantly piqued my interest, as it hit close to home. The project, launched by a trio of London-based designers, is focused on offering this year’s art and design graduates a chance to have their degree show work displayed on billboards across the UK. It’s comforting to know that my third-year peers, and other creative graduates, can still find outlets to have their work appreciated and seen by the public, whether online or in public spaces. Similar instances of mutual support between creatives can be seen in collaborative initiatives like the Indoors Zine, launched by It’s Nice That. The free-to-download publication features works by 20 creatives from across the globe, documenting life in quarantine through humorous and fun imagery. While this project may seem like a lighthearted, casual collaboration, I believe there is a lot of value in documenting individual experiences from this unprecedented time in history, whether that be doodles about awkward encounters with your neighbour or more sombre artwork that captures this pandemic’s grim realities. Creatives worldwide have also been rallying to create design for the people, and it is now more than ever that we can witness the power of art and design in sparking social change. The Group typeface project for instance presents an interesting way of merging creative output with charitable efforts. Group is a collaborative fundraising project involving 37 designers, illustrators and typographers from around the world. These image-makers have collectively developed the Group typeface, an eclectic display of character and artistry. Funds accumulated from the launch of this typeface will go to the World Health Organisation. Raissa Pardini, graphic designer and coordinator of this project, shared that in honouring the spirit of collaboration, the creatives involved were not given much direction on what sort of aesthetic approach to take when designing their alphabet. The only rule was to avoid using forms that allude to the virus or pandemic in any way. Pardini explained, “I wanted to stay away from that negativity and just highlight the fact that we were working all together.” This project is a prime example of how design can make tangible differences, especially in times of crisis. Other ways that design has proven to effect change is through boosting morale. Interestingly, posters have been popularised as the go-to format for many community design projects, exemplified by the wealth of poster designs shared online. While majority of these designs are circulating digitally, eye-catching posters like this one by In Good Company are also appearing in public spaces. Perhaps one of the most notable community poster design projects around is the Stay Sane, Stay Safe initiative, the brainchild of Studio Lennarts & de Brujin and overdeschreef. The initiative calls upon image-makers from all over the world to contribute poster designs that are accessible to the public, so that uplifting messages of positivity can be spread to frontline workers and communities worldwide. The project has proven to be immensely successful, with over 1926 contributions from 85 countries. On a more localised scale, here in my home country, design agency Kinetic Singapore has kickstarted a similar community design project titled #ThankYouDeliveryHeroes. The studio released free-to-download posters online, encouraging local residents to print and paste these posters on their front doors as a sign of appreciation to delivery workers who have tirelessly worked through our lockdown. With so many amazing displays of design responsibility, its only natural for creatives to feel the pressure of having to produce outstanding and compelling works, or emerge from quarantine having churned out a mass of creative outputs. These concerns were discussed by illustrators Saehan Parc and Kate Isobel Scott when they spoke to It’s Nice That, revealing ways in which they cope with staying motivated while the rest of the world is on pause. Both artists admitted to feeling somewhat lost amidst shifts in their professional environments, but have found comfort in adopting more relaxed approaches to their creative practice. Reading about these experiences provided me with some reassurance, as I could definitely relate to the anxiety around being productive while stuck in quarantine. Still, I have tried to keep myself engaged in little ways, like developing a series of fashion illustrations inspired by the “covid-19 airport fashion” I observed while in Heathrow. Learning about how other creatives are coping with the pandemic has been inspiring to say the least. Community design projects have served as stark reminders of humanity and the spirit of resilience in these dark times. Ironically, and amazingly, despite being so physically distanced, the design community has united over this crisis in a flourish of collaborative projects across disciplines and across the globe. The amount support and creative outpour is undeniably infectious — as a fellow illustrator, I feel as though I’m being called to my place in this global network of creatives, and who am I to refuse it?
Biblography: 1. Bourton, L. (2020) Does a creative routine matter when the world is turned upside down? Available at: https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/dropbox-creative-routines-kate-isobel-scott-saehan-parc-alexander-coggin-partnership-230420 2. Steven, R. (2020) HOW COVID-19 PROMPTED A RETURN OF THE POSTER. Available at: https://www.creativereview.co.uk/posters-covid-19/ 3. Brewer, J. (2020) The Nationwide Degree Show offers grads billboard space to show their work. Available at: https://www.itsnicethat.com/news/nationwide-degree-show-creative-industry-140520 4. Williams, M. (2020) Designers from across the world contribute to Group, an eclectic charity typeface. Available at: https://www.creativereview.co.uk/group-font-coronavirus/ Media References: 1. Indoors Zine (2020) [Screenshot] Available at: https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/dropbox-indoors-zine-publication-photography-illustration-140520 2. Group font (2020) [Screenshot] Available at: https://group-font.com 3. In Good Company (2020) Available at: https://www.creativereview.co.uk/posters-covid-19/ 4. Stay Sane, Stay Safe (2020) [Screenshot] Available at: https://www.instagram.com/studio_lennartsendebruijn/ 5. Kinetic (2020) [Screenshot] Available at: https://www.thankyoudeliveryheroes.com 6. #ThankYouDeliveryHeroes (2020) [Screenshot] Available at: https://www.thankyoudeliveryheroes.com
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