Design for the Community: Hello Neighbor!
Despite Minnesota’s image as demographically homogenous state with residents primarily of Scandinavian heritage, the Twin Cities is home to a sizable population of recent immigrants. According to the Minneapolis Foundation, over 10% of the population of the Twin Cities is foreign born.
As part of the City of Minneapolis, the department of Neighborhood and Community Relations works to create strong neighborhood and community relationships. In 2010, the department approached MCAD DesignWorks to help develop materials for its “Hello Neighbor!” initiative. The pilot project, supported by the Minnesota Council of Churches Refugee Services, World Relief, and the Bush Foundation, aims to connect newly-arrived refugees and immigrants to established community members. Volunteers greet new city residents by meeting with them one-on-one and providing them with a gift bag filled with materials regarding community resources and other useful items such as pre-paid calling cards, coupons, and a refillable water bottle. In the first year of the campaign, volunteers delivered approximately 500 welcome kits to new Minneapolitans.
Undergraduate student Tousue Vang ’11 designed the logo and related visual assets for the Hello Neighbor! campaign and materials.