New Leaf

University Project, 2016

Brief

As of 2016, nearly 83% of the British population live in an urban environment.

My aim is to slow the flow of urbanisation and urban sprawl by promoting counter-urbanisation and the advantages of the countryside.

Solution

I created an environmental property selling service, New Leaf, which aims to inspire city-dwellers aged 30-40 to start a new adventure in the country. New Leaf turns the traditional property searching method on its head: Instead of the user searching by location, they enter features they like and dislike. New Leaf then searches the countryside for the perfect matches for them that they may never have considered.

Commuting on foot

A poster campaign utilises a page fold printed on acetate, designed to make it feel like the wall is folding open like a page, giving a glimpse of an idyllic view beyond.

Commuting by car

A billboard ad is used to target those who commute by car. The ad shows an idyllic view that highlights how much nicer that commute would be than the congested roads of the city.

Commuting on the Underground

The Environments campaign brings the country to you by invading physical locations on the Underground, covering the floor with fake grass and the walls with idyllic views.

A variety of posters will also be used throughout the Underground, such as on the escalators: The posters are designed to look like windows looking out over an idyllic view, treating commuters to a scene that changes as they rise up as if they were a real set of windows.

Commuting on the bus

The New Leaf interactive bus shelter allows commuters to try out New Leaf’s search function while they wait. When idle the bus shelter will display screensavers of idyllic views shown through a window.

Commuting on the train

Samsung has a prototype technology called a ‘Smart Window’, which turns glass into a touch screen. I have utilised this technology to allow commuters by train to choose what idyllic view they would like to see displayed by their window, selected from a list of options.