Dongseo University

Dongseo University, which is shaped by Christian values, wants to promote the talents of its students, but it also wishes to contribute to the development of their personalities. In the design department, this is reflected, among other things, in the study of social issues. Soyeon Kang, Jeong Ah Bae, Bo Min Kang, Hyo Bin Kim and Jeong Eup Kang thus have developed a simple but effective tool to increase donations for endangered species.

Interview with Dongseo University

Red Dot: What provided the initial spark for the “Amazon Smile Tape” project?
Dongseo University: In the Amazon rainforest, almost 2,300 animal species are critically endangered due to wildfires, deforestation and illegal hunting. We wanted to draw attention to this problem and initiate a call for action. With Amazon Giving, the company’s donation programme under Amazon Smile, 0.5 per cent of the total price of purchases goes to an organisation of the consumer’s choice. In this way, Amazon shoppers can also contribute to the protection of endangered animals. The problem, however, is that hardly any users are aware of this system. Therefore, we wanted to communicate this donation programme through box tape on Amazon packages. We redesigned the tape with the pattern of the endangered animal, added the status “Endangered” and linked it to the Amazon Smile website with a QR code in the shape of the respective animal.

How important is it today to appeal to people beyond just providing pure information?
People are rational and emotional beings – they only act when they feel the need to act or have formed a relationship with the issue. Therefore, a more emotionally persuasive approach, one that inspires action, is becoming increasingly important.

The tape could reach millions of people – a simple solution with a big impact. Do you see this as a top-priority design task?
Most people are aware of the problems of endangered species, but they easily forget again when the issues are not directly addressed. The redesign of the box tape quickly captures their attention and is a pointed reminder of endangered species. Through this process, we have realised that it is important for designers to find ways to merge social or societal problems with people’s everyday lives. Yes, we believe that solving various social problems is a task that designers have to face again and again.

How important is it for you to also get involved in social projects?
By intensively engaging in social issues, designers can empathise with different groups of people and develop innovative solutions to their problems. They can have a positive impact on individual groups or society as a whole by tackling social problems in a creative way and by ensuring comprehensible communication. That is why we would like to continue to use the possibilities of design to develop effective solutions.