STUDENT
Maredith Byrd
PROFESSOR
Malcolm McCullough
We carry our prized possessions in packages, it is protection, a shelter. Just like a postal box, post offices reveal the amount of friction we each face as we go from our home to a government building. Friction while perceived as negative, has the potential to be positive. Human interactions all have friction, and friction is necessary to build public trust. Just like the envelopes and parcels it ships, this wrapped package is stickered taped, layered, folded, and splattered with icons. While we explored Dutch Design, I was especially in love with the funky, out-of-the-norm buildings we studied. They have a habit of encouraging connection between the public and private sectors with simplistic, yet risky moves. This experience is meant to promote this “Positive Friction”: which encourages those who are obliged to enter a post office to face the fear of obligatory boredom, and instead build a connection with their community.