Impact — Llewellyn Design Studio

Impact Wrkshp’s 2020 fellowship project is the Covid KIT—a toolkit for safe reoccupation of public space which enables communities to deploy social distancing guidelines as a way to bring people together within the public realm. This kit is comprised of three independent design interventions created for reactivating communities & public space during the Covid-19 pandemic. As one of the three designs, my investigation asks the question: how might we use outdoor games and their familiar visual language to bring people together while playing at a safe distance from each other?

Disconnection caused by the Pandemic

The project kicked off with research on non-medical essential workers and their pain points, from which we carried over the key broader issues that resonate with the public at large. From an empathetic standpoint, we sought to answer how we could use design to alleviate the suffering caused by disconnection during a pandemic.

Creating Interventions in Public Spaces

As one of three solutions that comprise the overall CovidKit, the intervention I developed responds to the “Language of Play” and how this reignites our community and educational spaces.

Gamification of Social Distancing

Socially distant Multi-Game Play Circles are game boards that provide children (and adults) a way to take the minimum 6 foot distance and use it as a space to play games—while connecting in a way that is safe and fun. They are designed to be a part of school yards or public playgrounds, but can also be applied to sidewalks or parking lots.

Outdoor Application Applied to Asphalt or Cement

The circles are 8’ 5” diameter, with markings that define 6’ distance built within each design. The four corners are the player markers spaced 6’ from each other—up to four players can safely play together on a circle. Permanent asphalt striping or eco-friendly milk paint for semi-perm.

The boards are both designed to be abstract enough to where users can come up with their own games. Bringing in tools like chalk, stones, sticks, and balls expand the play range.

Portable Version

An alternative to the permanent outdoor application is a polyvinyl roll-out mat that can be used indoors or outdoors.

Set-up the Experience

The roll-out version can be used in school gyms, classrooms, or recreation centers. Objects like disks, bouncy balls, or blocks can make educational and recess activities more fun.

Indoor Prototype of Board 1

Children at a local elementary school test the indoor version of the game boards. Printed on G-Floor polyvinyl

As schools adjust to the needs of social distancing, limitations on classroom capacity present a need to harness adjacent outdoor spaces for educational and playful activities. Multi-Game Play Circles keeps kids engaged while keeping them at a safe distance from each other—offering a flexible setting for teachers, parents, kids, and adults to invent interesting ways to have fun together.

For the full 3-part project and to see the corresponding work of the other two Summer 2020 design fellows, visit Impact Wrkshp and check out the Instagram page.

Impact Wrkshp: The Covid KIT