Paige Foster: 2025
Destination: Copenhagen, Denmark
I remember gazing out at the vast canals watching the local Danes go about their day, speaking an unfamiliar language I wished I could understand. I had just finished touring the cultural center I was assigned to rebrand that explores Denmark’s history with Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands, and it felt daunting to highlight cultures I was not a part of. As my time in Copenhagen went on, however, I felt more connected to the city and culture. Surprisingly, I first noticed this connection at the grocery store. The shopkeeper often spoke to me in Danish, leaving me flustered during my first few visits. However, through the carefully designed signs and images across the city, I was able to converse and create connections without knowing the language, and gain a better understanding of Copenhagen’s culture and people. This experience gave me the idea to explore the connection between language and image for my project, using the word “hello” in the four native languages, while also using visuals to create a sense of connection and curiosity to the place. Being immersed in the city and learning design allowed me to broaden my perspective and create meaningful designs that could communicate to a broader audience, even without a common language. Working on this project also made me realize how language isn’t always necessary when communicating and how important visual communication is when creating accessible design. Creating accessible design for different audiences is still present in my current work, including my IP project in which I’m creating more accessible messages for people with color blindness. Studying abroad in Copenhagen made me realize how design can be used to communicate and connect people across the world, something I now strive to incorporate in my work due to this experience.
