01 / therapeutic graphics: process 1

Project 1: Therapeutic Graphics

The Brief: Hospital can be a stressful environment. What roles can graphic artist and designer play to create a welcoming and soothing environment that can potentially promote healing? In partnership with the recently opened Ng Teng Fong Hospital, this project invites you to develop and propose a graphic form for application in a healthcare environment to lighten the atmosphere of the hospital.

Site Observation

Location: Connector bridge between second floors of Tower A (clinics) and Tower B (wards) of Ng Teng Fong Hospital
Interior & ambience: Narrow, long space ; Minimalist; mostly neutrals – whites and greys ; Lacklustre, lack of human touch, plain
Exterior: Looking over to malls, greeneries, HDB flats, traffic, etc.
Users: Mostly staff members (doctors, nurses, admins, cleaning staff) – rushing between work or for meals + patients (inpatients, old people, wheelchair users, etc) and their visitors – taking strolls around the hospitals
Resembles airports (travelators) – not somewhere one would stay long at; and a prison (according to a cleaning staff) because of the metal grills and prosaic colour scheme

Art in hospitals

John Hopkins Hospital x x

art inspired by nature and animals etc.

ROBERT-ISRAEL-SCHOOL-OF-PUFFER-FISH-20082012

School of Puffer Fish, Robert Israel

Magical Frit, Spencer Finch

“Research suggests patients are positively affected by nature themes and figurative art with unambiguous, positive faces that convey a sense of security and safety.”

“A 2012 review of neuroscience studies published in the Health Environments Research & Design Journal found that images of fearful or angry faces, ambiguous subject matter, high novelty and unfamiliarity, lack of realism and sharp contours elicit negative emotional responses in the brain and suggested they should be avoided.” x

“But not all art is created equal, explained Levin. Consider a woman in the cancer ward, sitting for hours of chemotherapy treatment. The right painting or photograph to reduce her anxiety and pain is probably different than the appropriate choice for a maternity ward, emergency room or public cafeteria. And that’s where design based on evidence and data comes in.” x

Design Ethnography

Therapeutic: “producing good effects on your body or mind”

Ultimate goal: instinctively moodlifting and easily relatable because:

-space serves very diverse groups of people from different backgrounds with various standards for appreciating or interpreting what may be therapeutic

-rushing or unlikely to spend a long time there