Brain-cracking Session

It was really a headache when Li Wen wanted us to improve the design and make a wallpaper which is worth buying with a higher price. The first thing came to our mind was - no direction. But if we didn't change the design, the silkscreening process would be much harder for us. So... no choice, we needed to redesign.

The first sketch had not much idea and concept, it was just based on the theme communication.



Our group started to brainstorm, hoping to come up with a concept. We simply did some sketches on the spot, but it didn't help.


trying to combine communication device to form a design - FAIL


applied the border around letter (stripes) + antique phone (circle with numbers) + remained the original subject matter (typewriter) - FAIL


okay, we gotta think all over again. REFRESH!


Suet Yee suggested to narrow down the scope because communication itself was a very wide topic. Then we thought of the slogan for GIORDANO - world without strangers. Indeed, this slogan is trying to break the boundary among people, just like the saying "All for one, one for all." No one can stand on his own. In this world, we need to communicate and interact with people in order to survive. To be more personal, communication can happen between 2 strangers. If you would like to take the first step to know someone, you will need to break the wall.


The divide sign is a very simple visual to convey our idea. 2 people - you and me, with a wall in between, indicating strangers who do not know and talk to each other.


When you hope someone to know you what you are talking about, to understand what you are thinking, you do not really depend on communication device to convey your message. In fact, senses is the key to achieve it.

Mouth, to tell.
Eye, to see.
Ear, to hear.
Brain, to interpret.
Heart, to be sincere.


Also, we thought of using sticky notes as a part of our design. People use sticky notes as a reminder to make sure something to be done, or to tell someone about something. In a way this is a form of communication.

Then we combined this idea with a forum game. The game is very simple. The first person asks a question, another person has to answer it and ask another question. This game has actually no end unless no one answers the last question. Therefore, through this game, we can communicate and play without even knowing who the person is. Isn't this breaking the wall?



"Hello."

We did believe that "hello" is most probably the first word that we use to greet someone whom we know or we don't. It carries a feeling of being open-hearted to accept someone.

Finally, we combined all this together and here came our design.