Design for emergencies. A set of guidelines developed at the University of Palermo.

Abstract

Over the last few years, the undergraduate course in Industrial Design at the University of Palermo has developed a research project on Design for Emergencies. This conversation started from an exchange of experiences/considerations/thoughts with institutions and associations on the importance of designing a visual communication that could transmit, in a clear and accessible way, information pertaining to the prevention of risks and the management of emergencies. The research has involved the students, who have developed this topic in their dissertations, starting from the study of those environmental crises that could lead to an emergency situation, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, tsunamis, and landslides. The goal is to find effective solutions that might improve the positive outcome of emergency management strategies. The outcome of this research has been the definition of a design process and a set of guidelines that can be adapted to different backgrounds and applied to the design of strategies for risk prevention and emergency management.