LOCAL design organizations Design Advisory Council and the Design Center of the Philippines, led by the Communication Design Association of the Philippines (CDAP), recently launched a campaign that applies design thinking and the theory of positive reinforcement to nudge Filipinos to remain vigilant against Covid-19.
“PAALALABAS,” a portmanteau of the words paalala and labas, aims to encourage the public to keep their guards up to stop the spread of the highly infectious virus by offering a “design solution” to the global health crisis using visual cues and communication taglines.
“While still often associated solely with aesthetics, the application of design [today] is much broader,” said Arch. Royal Pineda, cochairman of the Design Advisory Council, and principal architect of Budji+RoyalArchitecture+Design. “In the past year, we have definitely witnessed, as well as experienced the power of design as a tool for innovation and problem-solving. One way by which design can help us navigate the pandemic labyrinth is through the creation of a system of design that can communicate this new etiquette, to encourage and constantly remind individuals and local communities of mindful and safe behaviors against the virus.”
The main call to action of PAALALABAS is “mag-mask, mag-distancing, magtulungan,” a message carefully articulated in a way that does not impose but gently reminds. The organizers said that design thinking was applied to create the campaign to ensure that its message will resonate with everyone, especially the economically vulnerable.
The campaign also utilizes positive reinforcement as means to create an effective social learning experience, following the study by RN/Psychologist Maria Lourdes de Vera in 2017. Published in the London Journal of Psychology and Psychotherapy, the study cited that positive reinforcement could enhance social interaction and participation if integrated with a creative approach.
“At the heart of this process is not just human-centered design but also Filipino-centered design,” said Rhea O. Matute, executive director of the Design Center of the Philippines. “We strongly believe that PAALALABAS has the ability [to pierce through Covid fatigue] because it has a very Filipino character of creative wordplay coupled with a very simple visual language and iconography.”
The campaign will involve graphical and design elements created by designer and illustrator Dan Matutina of Plus63 Design Co., featuring non-alarmist symbols inspired by bold and condensed typefaces for immediate comprehension and simple duplication. Through a partnership aimed to make the campaign accessible to everyone, the creative assets of PAALALABAS will be available on the graphic design platform Canva.
According to Angel Guerrero, member of the Design Advisory Council, and cofounder of CDAP, the intent is to launch the campaign at the grassroots level.
“The points of contact will be posters and signages in places where people congregate, which is usually where the problem is, where Covid spreads,” she said. “We want the campaign on ground.”
PAALALABAS has been initially rolled out in Intramuros, Manila. The “PAALALABAS Intramuros City Lab” prototypes a scalable design solution for cities in addressing the Covid-19 challenges by concentrating on community and grassroots. Another objective of the project is to engage community leaders and influencers in the promotion of proper health and safety protocols.
Guerrero added that the second phase of the implementation will be on social-media platforms, and the third will be on other platforms, such as YouTube and Spotify.