The spread of COVID-19 has been one of the most tumultuous events that has happened worldwide in recent history. The Philippines has not been exempt from this, with over a million cases recorded since March 2020. And while Filipinos have started to adjust to the new normal, there still a need to remind everyone of the basic safety protocols and avoid complacency.
“Paalalabas”, a campaign by the Design Center of the Philippines, Design Advisory Council of the Philippines and the Communication Design Association of the Philippines, aims to use the power of design to communicate the present danger of COVID-19.
Angel Guerrero, member of the Design Advisory Council and the Communication Design Association of the Philippines, said the word “Paalalabas” came from the words “Paalala”, or reminder, and “Labas”, to go out, to remind people to continue following the health standards when going outside.
The campaign proponents shared that the materials were designed in a way that would be easy to understand and absorb, that it would be acceptable in a non-threatening or fear-mongering manner, and which medium would best create effective dissemination. The specific use of colors and typeface were tested on focus groups and the final iteration was meant to attract attention without being too aggressive.
“As health considerations continue to change the way we relate to one another, as well as the way we inhabit and move through public spaces as the result of constantly evolving pandemic conditions, one way which design can help us navigate the pandemic labyrinth is to use the visual language of health to communicate new etiquette,” said Royal Pineda, partner of Budji+Royal architects and co-chairman of the Design Council of the Philippines.
The campaign material was first deployed in public spaces in Intramuros with the help of the Intramuros Administration. Intramuros was chosen as it is a highly accessible tourism destination with heavy foot traffic the Paalalabas team aims to expand the program to other areas by partnering with local government units, the Metro Manila Development Authority, the Presidential Communications Operations Office and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to assist them in promoting the campaign.
The Paalalabas materials can also be downloaded for free at www.paalalabas.com. In the website, visitors can download custom typefaces, graphic assets, and canva templates designed by Dan Matutina Jao Bautista, and Aaron Ampar.
