Santina Busalacchi

fostering human connection in a virtual world.

play
interdisciplinary research & design

colors in use:
#f4752c
#f9cd3d
#db3580
#2b9145

fonts in use:
custom logotype, sofia pro

skills:
design, illustration, copy writing, hand lettering, ux/ui

The seemingly overnight chaos of the pandemic has changed much about life as we know it, with endless debates about masks, the race for a vaccine, and harrowing numbers of lives lost. But perhaps one of the most monumental effects of the pandemic is the new norm of a virtual life. The longer the pandemic rages on, remote education and working from home evolve past efforts to slow the spread; they represent an entire shift in what the human experience means. The need for physical interaction is in our biological makeup. The primal necessity to be included in a group has developed our need for social interaction, which is why many of us struggle in the virtual environment. Inspired by my research project titled, “Technology, Human Experience, & Design: Breaking Through the Confines of the Pandemic’s Virtual World,” which uses the design thinking process to explore this problem through an interdisciplinary lens, Play is a program that provides kits for virtual creation workshops to explore how the act of play and separate, but connected physical activities can reconcile the sense of loss and isolation caused by the pandemic. The program continues the research framed by the project, inviting others to share their experiences with the virtual environment on the program's website and upload pictures of their creation workshop. Play's identity stems from the feeling of play itself. The custom lettering is modeled after cut pieces of paper and the color palette inspired by classic construction paper colors. The letters are repeated in different scales throughout the identity, carefree in their arrangement and position, welcoming the viewer into the world of play.