The location for this project is the Park Street T Station entrance/exit. This is an area that receives a lot of commuter traffic, especially from people who work or study on Beacon Hill and the surrounding area.
Commuting, especially on public transportation, is not exactly a bright and cheerful experience. Quite often, the trip is long, crowded, uncomfortable, and filled with dread for the rapidly approaching workday. This signage is designed to help those commuters to release some of the negative energy that develops on the T before continuing on to work or school.
The first graphic the viewer comes to is the phrase THIS WAY with elongated stems reaching around the corner. This action of reaching and moving over or through the obstacles in between (an advertisement, pipes, crevices) is designed to attract the viewer's curiosity. Since the type is so large (in comparison to the signage and type nearby), it is implied that something big and important is just beyond the doorway.
The viewer is drawn to discover what is so important that these words needed to visually reach out, grab them, and drag them around the corner.
Once on the other side of the wall, the viewer is presented with large brackets with the simple phrase "let it out." Here is where all the frustrations and anxieties developed on the T can be let loose in any way the viewer chooses (yelling, stomping, cursing, etc.). From there, viewers are free to go about their days in higher spirits and less likelihood of taking their anger out on fellow workers.
Not having color in this project forced me to rely much more heavily on type and scale to convey the message. Rather than bright, eye-catching color, the scale of THIS WAY is what is meant to catch attention along with the movement created by the traveling lines. The condensed THIS WAY was also able to evoke the tense feelings of agitated commuters, thereby connecting with their current mindsets. Once outside, the type changes. "Let it out" is in regular Futura, a more calming, elementary school-esque weight of the font with circular o's and e's. In all lower-case, its as if the phrase is being said in a soothing voice to let the viewer know it is okay to vent. This is a safe, enclosed space. Creating the space are two brackets that are immediately recognizable as containers, but are open enough at the top and bottom to not make anyone feel trapped while standing inside.
Go on. Let it out.
Not having color in this project forced me to rely much more heavily on type and scale to convey the message. Rather than bright, eye-catching color, the scale of THIS WAY is what is meant to catch attention along with the movement created by the traveling lines. The condensed THIS WAY was also able to evoke the tense feelings of agitated commuters, thereby connecting with their current mindsets. Once outside, the type changes. "Let it out" is in regular Futura, a more calming, elementary school-esque weight of the font with circular o's and e's. In all lower-case, its as if the phrase is being said in a soothing voice to let the viewer know it is okay to vent. This is a safe, enclosed space. Creating the space are two brackets that are immediately recognizable as containers, but are open enough at the top and bottom to not make anyone feel trapped while standing inside.
Go on. Let it out.
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