Project brief: Lonely Times

Looking at loneliness and all the lonely people.

Are we going through an epidemic of loneliness? What causes loneliness? What alleviates it?

These are just some of the questions my design researcher friend Pip Kennedy is trying to answer.

She started Lonely Times, her loneliness project (along with her business partner Tuong) when they had their design research studio, move-merge.

Since then, the studio is no longer, but the research continues.

From Lonely Times:

The loneliness epidemic is reflected across society. Research shows that 1 in 4 Australians feel lonely most of the time. 16-35 year olds are the loneliest group, with loneliness felt most acutely at times of life transition.

Depicting loneliness

I’ve worked with Pip and Tuong on and off for years. The best thing about a project with these two is that we’re all mates outside of work, so working together just feels like hanging out most of the time.

They approached me to help them create a series of illustrations depicting the feeling of loneliness, even if you’re amongst others. We chose a few scenarios that related to the report they were writing and I got to work.

Life drained of colour

We decided on some fairly stark black and white illustrations for this project to create the feeling of a world drained of colour and life. I deliberately chose a shaky pen for the line-work to emphasise this feeling of being off-balance.

We then thought of the idea of being washed down the drain, as if parts of you disappear when you go without connection for long enough.

From Lonely Times:

Loneliness is a physical experience. For instance, extreme loneliness can release as much stress hormone cortisol as if you were punched in the face by a stranger.

Being lonely amongst friends

The final illustration we did was for another report, and we wanted this one in colour. This one was to show the feeling of being alone even when out and socialising, showing that loneliness isn’t just about physical isolation. For this one, we used the move-merge brand colours.

Loneliness is not about being alone. We have spoken to hundreds of people who feel lonely despite having: loving partner(s), friends, a caring community, or the dream career.

Feeling lonely as an expat

There’s definitely times I feel really far away from my friends and family in Australia. Living between two countries can be challenging, and it can feel lonely at times. I’m lucky that I can just pick up the phone and see the faces of my loved ones whenever I like; even as little as 15 years ago, video calling was a patchy exercise at best!

I’m more aware now than ever that friendships and family relationships do require maintenance when you’re not around to spend time with people. As busy as life gets, it can be easy to let them fall by the wayside. I’m trying to put in the work as much as possible to keep my friendships alive, knowing that this is the best antidote to loneliness.

The final illustration - connection instead of loneliness!

If you’re interested in contributing to Pip’s research, you can do so here.

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