The design world lends its artistic hand
As Japan struggles with the consequences of the Kanto-Tohoku earthquake, this month's column takes a different format to highlight some of the ways the design community has come together to provide relief and support.
Architect Shigeru Ban is no stranger in bringing his design skills to relief efforts. His innovative and cheap prefab temporary housing solutions have been used in disaster-stricken areas before, and he was quick to announce the design of a special Paper Partition System that can be used to divide large spaces, such as the gymnasiums and school halls that are currently being used as shelters for refugees. Donations to help produce the systems can be made via Ban's website.
Graphic design can play a vital role during disasters, and Good Design Company's Manabu Mizuno has produced a series of pictographs that can be used to clearly identify supplies and aid being distributed to those in need. The series, which is available for anyone to use, can be downloaded as a PDF .