Institute of Art Design + Technology
Dún Laoghaire
On Show 2020
Emily Torpey

In the 1980s, the Japanese government introduced the practice of Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) to help their citizens suffering from increased stress from urban living. Forest bathing is the practice of bathing your senses in the atmosphere of a forest/natural setting & focusing on particular aspects of nature for improved health. The practice has now been adopted worldwide, thanks to its success in Japan & the scientific research that supports nature’s positive effects on human health & happiness.

Today, many feel stressed as a result of the pressures of modern living. We are also increasingly cut off from nature & spend little time outdoors. From surveys, I found that 62.5% of people feel stressed from everyday life & urban environments. 87.5% said they had not heard of the practice (in Ireland) & 100% of respondents stated that spending time in nature was important to them, but they found it hard to fit it into their lives.

My solution was to create the identity Terra, a service that would raise awareness about forest bathing by allowing/encouraging people to learn & experience the practice by themselves.
The Terra app recommends nearby forest bathing routes, so you can easily forest bathe anytime & anywhere! The app provides step by step on route guidance in the form of prompt cards, making it easy to learn the practice on route. The app can be downloaded from the Terra microsite, which has a curated list on the scientific research behind forest bathing. Posters displayed in town, are used to visually engage people & encourage them to download the app. Finally, the Terra social media promotes the app, forest bathing & posts upcoming forest bathing events, so users can forest bathe together!

Areas of Design I am interested/proficient in: Image-making, concept development, UX/UI, Print, Visual Identity, Copywriting, Branding.

Dissertation Title: Ahch-To & Westeros: Screen Tourism, Iconic Films & Contemporary Irish Tourism