Designers create project to take information about Covid-19 to remote populations

Catalina Lotero and Felipe Guarin are designers and founders of the Whatever Works design studio. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when the first cases of infection outside China started arising, they decided they should “do something to design solutions for the problems that were rapidly emerging”, explained Lotero.

Their major concern fell on the millions of people living in developing countries that did not have easy access to the internet or other reliable news outlets and, as such, wouldn’t get the information necessary to protect themselves and others from the coronavirus.

To solve this problem, they created the “Usa Tapabocas” (“Mask Up”) project which, through humanitarian branding and scientific prevention education, informative images would be added to the packaging of mass-consumed products. The labels include information on the importance of wearing a mask for protection and instruction on how to make a simple fabric mask at home. In this way, people everywhere would have access to essential information, through the packaging of food products they consume everyday, like rice bags or soda bottles.

The labels were designed with information provided by students at the Harvard University Medical School and are freely available to download online, for widespread dissemination.

The pair of designers was one of the winners of the MIT Covid-19 challenge and is now actively looking to partner with companies to turn the project into a reality. Companies interested in participating can sign up at the project’s website.

More information: https://whateverworks.design/work/usa-tapabocas/

Adapted from: https://forbes.co/2020/05/27/emprendedores/colombianos-ganan-reto-de-mit...

Project’s website: https://www.themaskupproject.org/