Extract:

CR: The provision of information seems to be one specific area that the skills of designers could be best put to use in times of crisis: good, reliable information can lead people to shelter, food etc, it's a vital part of the chain. Do you think more could be done to raise awareness of the need for the provision of systems of information in times like this?

LJC: Definitely. There are so many ways that communication designers can contribute. Here, the information bulletin boards that should be providing good, reliable information to lead people to find their loved ones placed at various shelters are not designed at all. Because the areas affected are so huge, and many of the towns are completely diminished by the tsunami, we have hundreds and thousands of 'refugees' who have to be placed at public housing and transitional shelters across the whole country. This also means they will need to receive information in order to learn how to adapt to a life in a completely new city or environment.

In the case of those people from the Fukushima area who had to be relocated to other cities and towns because of the nuclear reactors; there have been incidents where children are being bullied at school because of the misconception that they will spread the nuclear contamination.

There need to be campaign tools targeting the general public to eliminate this kind of discrimination, as well as tools to help the local communities learn how to help these 'refugees' to integrate into the new environment. At some of the shelters, we also need to provide effective campaign tools to raise awareness of sexual crimes against women and children. Graphic designers also need to provide their services to fit both the digital platform users as well as traditional analogue communication tools because of the large percentage of older population in the affected areas.

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