Social Design

One of the lesser known areas in which design creates an impact is social issues. Gemklip has always believed in turning problems into opportunities. However, designing a Social Campaign / movement is a lot like designing a product – it is to turn a problem into an opportunity. This is one of Gemklip’s core principles.

Which cause to pick?

To begin with, we had to pick a cause. Some bane in society for us to tackle. For instance, a quick scan of our surroundings immediately reveals that smartphone addiction is on the top of that list.

” A dark consensus about screens and kids begin to emerge in Silicon Valley. I am convinced the devil lives in our phones and is wreaking havoc on our children” – The New York Times

” Helplines are flooded with calls from parents desperate to disengage their children from smartphones, so they can focus on their coursework” –The Hindu

” Raising awareness of ones own smartphone use can be the first step in the right direction of decreasing smartphone addiction.” – The Guardian.

How did we go about it?

We chose this problem – excessive screen time, and set to work. We launched the campaign first, at a school. A stall was set up during the Carnival at Oasis International School, Bangalore.

screentime poster — Screentime effects poster

Some kids demonstrate to parents the harmful effects of screen time, and how to curb them. They were assisted by vibrant posters, flyers and wore Coolheads, a Gemklip product designed specifically for campaigns. Here’s how it went.

Service learning program on Smartphone Addiction.

What next?

Following the success of this campaign, we took “social design” to the Open Day of IISc (Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore). Similarly, another stall was set up at Ripples. Here, we handed out flyers and interacted with students and parents.

Coolheads – An eye-catching product for Campaigns and events.

Coolheads was a product designed in such a way that it is ideal for campaigns. Firstly, they are attention grabbing headbands that are easy to put on and manage. In addition, they shout out a clear message to anyone reading it, and make your cause stand out. As a result, these are a fun alternative to banners or protest boards.

Cool heads is great for –

Parties and group party games
Role-playing activities and discussions
Supporting a cause
Making a bold unique statement
Great alternative for placards, banners and badges.

How we created Coolheads.

After brainstorming on various alternatives and manufacturing methods, we settled on vinyl sticker speech bubbles, attached to a hairband with the help of aluminium wires.