L Magazine Box Redesign » Description

Overview

Create an ‘Intervention’ in the streets of New York City.

Problem

Newspaper boxes often function as obstacles to pedestrians instead of being helpful.

A newspaper box’s form also has little reference to the time-sensitive event listings that are inside.

Goals

1. Provide greater function for objects that are obstacles to sidewalk traffic.
2. Create a more meaningful relationship between the contents of the boxes and the people whose streets they exist on.

Observations

L Magazine is distributed through curbside boxes, people often pick up the magazine when they are looking for something to do NOW.

It’s easy to ignore these boxes, how can we remind people in a visual way that things are happening all of the time, just around the corner?

Solution

Improve the function and appearance of L Magazine’s boxes by letting people know what’s going on where without even opening the box.

A large arrow rotates on the top of the box, pointing in the direction of upcoming events listed in the magazine. The event’s name location and time are visible on a small display below the arrow. Every few minutes, the arrow moves, pointing toward a new event that is happening in the next 12 hours.