2013
author
Ágnes Jekli (HU)
title
For refugees and asylum seekers
degree
M.A. project
e-mail
school
Moholy‑Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest
supervisor
Balla Dóra
The role of the designer involves constant change, depending on the capabilities and needs of the society. The present designer began her work in the framework of a research team for the EU Open Door project for refugees. The designer’s task was to create a visual ID for the undertaking. During her work she noticed the serious verbal communication problems experienced by the young inhabitants of the Károlyi István Care Center in Fót. To circumvent problems in verbal communication, the designer decided to work with the refugees to create a visual language. The multi‑task game, which took the form of 100 cubes with pictograms based on drawings by the teenagers themselves, and special frames that work as blackboards, is meant to help in learning the Hungarian language and support the socialization of the young people. This means that the young refugees have a chance to express their identities and communicate in the country which is ready to take them in. The designer discovered the real design problem on her own, as well as the right solution. The final effect is a comprehensible visual alphabet, which is both simple and aesthetically pleasing.