Sikkim Together
Research & Communication
// 2021
This project was an initiative by the civil society in Sikkim to help people combat COVID-19. My role involved researching, strategizing and executing communication by producing creative content, including illustrations and information graphics, for effective outreach in addressing COVID-19 challenges in rural Sikkim.
This project was done as a part my summer internship at Echostream, Gangtok.
"To design for the people, you must deeply comprehend the context in which they exist."
My experience at Echostream taught me a crucial lesson: before finding solutions, it's essential to thoroughly understand the entire situation. This means getting to know the place, its culture, and the people who live there. Without this knowledge, a solution that initially seems like a good idea might end up causing more problems.
Why embark on content creation when there was already an abundance of it available?
Most of the existing content was primarily sourced from organizations like the WHO and UNICEF, which, unfortunately, didn't resonate well with the people of Sikkim.
There was a distinct need for guidelines that were context-specific. The concept was to craft communication materials tailored precisely to the unique context of Sikkim. To achieve this, we established a visual reference library centered on Sikkim and its people. This library included details such as traditional clothing, local vegetation, cultural artifacts like colorful flags, interior designs of houses, utensils used, traditional food presentation, and daily activities—everything aimed at capturing the authentic essence of Sikkim in our communication materials.
To understand the context of Rural Sikkim, we developed a set of maps to identify areas with a higher risk of COVID-19 transmission, considering both the significance and the level of human activity in these areas.
We identified four main types of locations: homestays, taxis, kirana stores, and eateries/restaurants.
While researching homestay guidelines, we wanted to make sure that we provided safety advice for both tourists and homestay owners. However, we also wanted to make sure that the real homestay experience wasn't lost in the process.
The goal was to raise awareness about COVID-19 precautionary measures while showcasing the beauty and culture of Sikkim, as well as the welcoming nature of homestays. This was in an effort to rejuvenate tourism, which had come to a standstill for months due to the pandemic.
This poster was illustrated and designed by me to serve as an advisory for homestays in Sikkim during the reopening of the tourism sector following the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
Thank you!