Homeless Signs

Good god...was my first reaction when I saw the photos accompanying this article. I was immediately offended and feeling sorry for the homeless men and women who were exploited in this way....until I actually read the article.  Artists Kenji Nakayama and Christopher Hope are collaborating to create eye-catching new signs for homeless people in an effort to get people to start to notice them. Noone is required to actually use the sign and the homeless people who participate get to actually help make the design choices plus they receive a $20 donation. This quote really helped me to understand the mission more clearly:"To even glance at a homeless person’s sign could be taken as a sign of engagement, and the prospect of engaging with a person you don’t know how to help is heartbreaking. So we treat them like ghosts...What Kenji and Hope want to do with their Signs for the Homeless is rip those blinders off, with graphic design too good to be denied. "We want people to see these signs, and be curious about the person holding it," says Hope. "We want them to go up and say, 'Nice sign, where’d you get it?"

I certainly don't think good graphic design can solve homelessness but I love that it is at least creating a conversation.  What do you think?