Re: Homeless

I absolutely agree with Nathan, but having lived in Boston and a few other places, I somehow see this graphic design project possibly working in that particular cultural environment -- Bean Town: land of the transient student.

To speak to the content of the sign, I never found an interest in the "funny sign." I agree with Chris Rock. But this did get a chuckle out of me:

And who doesn't like a call to action?

I'm not totally against signs. There are movements where signs are incredibly effective, like the movement, Project Unbreakable, where victims of sexual abuse can have a voice about their experience. (If you haven't seen this, please check it out.)


CAUSE:
Believe it or not, the project in Boston is actually #16 on a list that I found online about what you can do for the homeless:

#16 Volunteer your hobbies - Every one of us has something we can give the homeless. Wherever our interests may lie -- cooking, repairing, gardening, and photography (GRAPHIC DESIGN SIGNS)-- we can use them for the homeless. Through our hobbies, we can teach them useful skills, introduce them to new avocations and perhaps point them in a new direction.

For the rest of the list, check out JustGive.org

CULTURE:
This would be appealing to the "college town" community in a way that I don't see working as well in Baltimore. Maybe it could work in similar neighborhoods filled with college students who still get an allowance and who might take the time to have a conversation with a homeless person, but I don't see it working well on MLK Blvd., for example.

When I lived up in Boston, the homeless population compared to other places that I had lived or traveled, seemed incredibly friendly, kind, and many of them had some kind of skill or talent. Whether it was the Berklee College of Music dropout playing the saxophone on the Lagoon Bridge in the Boston Commons, or the chatty comedian, a middle-aged man who hung outside of one of my favorite restaurants, Sonsie -- the Boston homeless were entertaining!

There was a shift though when I left right after the recession in 2008 and came back to visit Boston in 2011. I couldn't quite explain it, but the homeless people that I had encountered just weren't quite as friendly anymore. They weren't entertaining and they made me feel threatened and uncomfortable. Not by the way they looked, but it was the way they would approach me or talk to me, or scream belligerent things at me if I didn't give them money. I have to wonder if this movement has anything to do with the shift that I had noticed over those three years and during hard times.


CONTRIBUTE
If you want to use your graphic design skills to help the community, I found a great volunteer website that doesn't appear to have anything to do with making pretty signs for the homeless.