Say Hi!

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

ASSETS: LOGO & BRAND PLATFORM, PRINT MATERIALS (BOOKLETS, CARD DECK, CALENDAR), STICKERS, TOTE BAG.

Say Hi! was my capstone project for my senior year at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. The project aimed to use communication design tools to help first-year students at Emily Carr bridge the awkward gap of silence between themselves and their classmates, in order to fight isolation and form meaningful friendships. I came up with Say Hi! through weeks of research into problems I thought could be helped in my local university community through meaningful design interventions, which could be practically implemented as well.

My inquiry into the problem space started rather accidentally in the autumn of 2019. I had been seeing a seemingly increasing amount of posts on the “ecuconfessions” Instagram about first-year students feeling isolated, alone, and the devastating emotional impact this can have on a student, especially one away from home for the first time. I knew I wanted to figure out how design could create tools that help and encourage people to interact and let students know about social events in a better way. In short, I wanted to take the fear out of making the first move, talking to strangers, going to events, and trying to make friends.

So, why physical objects, why not an app or a website? Well, what Say Hi! encourages above all is face to face communication, in classrooms, in cafeterias etc. I wanted to create artifacts that sparked curiosity and interaction. Through my interviews with first-year students and the foundation year coordinator (and my own experiences in first-year), I discovered that as freshman we are given very few physical objects to keep or refer to- a student union handbook, a tote bag, and a couple of administrative pieces of paper. I knew whether or not my tools were used or not hinged on them being attractive to students. Students also love to brand themselves- stickers, patches, buttons. If I could create not only a system of artifacts but a brand that represents friendliness and openness with peers, that the first- years both want and pay attention to, I could work towards solving this problem.

The objects are not difficult or expensive to produce- this aids in the theoretical practicality of the program. Emily Carr University would have to produce one Welcome kit containing each of these products. But I think the low cost of this would be very worth it for the friendships and community created at the school. For this project, I used Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

SAY HI! ESSENTIAL GUIDE FOR FOUNDATION STUDENTS

This is the Emily Carr Foundation (first-year) Survival Guide (In all 6 colours! More on that below). It is an essential handbook containing a map of the school, advice from seniors, room for notes, and “stuff you should know,” i.e. quick information for students available without having to learn it the hard way.

Say Hi! products come in a range of colours so that students are encouraged to customize; to find something they like and will actually use and keep. It also encourages trading and comparison (interaction!) amongst the students. The design and illustration style is meant to be friendly, fun, welcoming, and kind.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, unfortunately, my graduating class and I were not able to hold a Grad Show or get to the manufacturing stage of our projects. These images depict the final outcomes I would have loved to produce for Say Hi!. The holographic sharing candy pouches were one of my first ideas for a physical design catalyst for interaction, and the tote bag serves the purpose of brand proliferation and serving as a vessel for these items, which altogether serve as the first-year Say Hi! Welcome Kit.

Another part of the Say Hi! program would be a dedicated table in the Emily Carr cafeteria for foundation students only. The Foundation Table would be one of the places around the school one might find a “Community Convo Deck,” which are small cue cards on a ring that contain 50 conversation prompts. The idea of these two is to create spaces and design interventions to strike up conversations.

SAY HI! FOUNDATION STUDENT EVENT CALENDAR

This one is pretty simple- a monthly calendar for school and Vancouver events, ranging from weekly group meditation, student yoga, life drawing sessions, and local festivals. As a foundation student, I was too disorganized to remember all the separate emails we would receive notifying us of upcoming events. This is a cohesive and attractive approach to student event planning.

SAY HI! CONVERSATION INCENTIVE: ICEBREAKER PASSPORT

The icebreaker passport is a small 6”x6” booklet with only 10 pages. Each page contains a question and a blank line for someone else’s answer. For example, “what is your favourite movie?” Collect 10 answers from 10 different people and receive a free hot drink from the Emily Carr cafeteria.

SAY HI! FOUNDATION STUDENT FEEDBACK BOX

Another important part of the Say Hi! program would be student feedback, so that administration can know and respond to the needs and questions of the foundation community. The anonymity of a suggestion box would help students with social anxiety still get their voices heard.

What better way to get students to deck themselves out with a brand that symbolizes friendliness, openness, and community at Emily Carr than free stickers?

SAY HI! PENCILS

I am incredibly grateful I got to work and focus on one project about which I was so passionate for my senior year. And despite the pandemic preventing the final product coming into physical being, I am very proud of the work I did complete. It is true to who I am and what I love in design. I will always be proud of Say Hi!