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InspirationGraphic Design

Graphic designer tackles issue of wide-spread loneliness in moving campaign

Toronto-based graphic designer Marissa Korda has launched a poignant series that deals directly with the problem of mass loneliness. Simply entitled The Loneliness Project, Korda highlights the touching stories of people that currently feel, or have felt, that they are alone.

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Illustrated nighttime urban street scene showing silhouetted figures in lit windows of apartment buildings, a take-out restaurant, convenience store and pharmacy below, evoking themes of isolation and urban loneliness

She explains: "We live in a world where everybody, at least online, has thousands of 'friends'. Yet though we are more connected than ever, there’s an epidemic of loneliness that has many people suffering in silence.

"A few months ago, I started collecting stories from people about their real experiences with loneliness. I started small, asking my immediate network to share with their friends/family, and was flooded with submissions from people of all ages and walks of life.

"The Loneliness Project is an interactive web archive I created to present and give these stories a home online. I believe in design as a tool to elevate others' voices. Stories have tremendous power to spark empathy, and I believe that the relationship between design and emotion only strengthens this power.

"I use illustration, animation, and sound to craft a fully immersive and interactive experience that encourages visitors to get lost in the stories, closing the gap between their lives and those of the storytellers. I aim to use design to effect real-world change.

"People don’t talk about loneliness, but the influx of stories I received shows how universal and human it is. For many people, our digitized world is isolating—creating networks but no real connections. My project, living in that same online space, leverages digital design to repair this disconnect. By starting conversations about loneliness we can combat isolation and cultivate compassion—for others and for ourselves."

A beautiful project for an important cause. Discover more at thelonelinessproject.org.

All images courtesy of Marissa Korda

The Loneliness Project website homepage showing illustrated apartment buildings at night with silhouetted figures in lit windows against a starry sky
The Loneliness Project webpage displaying a personal account from 33-year-old Liz about her experiences with loneliness, set against a dark interactive background interface
The Loneliness Project webpage displaying the heading "Loneliness is human and that's okay" with descriptive text about the project on a dark blue background
Navy background with white stars and serif text reading a personal story from Andrew, 24, about spending two hours alone at IKEA, feeling too nervous to ask anyone to accompany him
Navy background with scattered stars and white text reading "Christmas guts me every year. I already accept there will be not even a phone call for me" attributed to Scout, 60, from The Loneliness Project
Cream text on dark blue background reading a quote from Maisa, 28, about feeling lonely hearing negative discussions about immigrants, with small white dots scattered throughout
Quote from Liz, 33, describing her experience of loneliness, displayed in cream serif text on a dark starry background
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