Outbreak Recess

           Visual Systems & Outbreak Investigation





Project Advisor Yael Ort-Dinoor

Boston University Fall 2020


BU CFA Teammates Byori Hwang, Noelle No, Sohini Mukherjee
BU SPH Teammates Annie Hunger, Cynthia Miguel, Ivanna Rocha, Kerra Washington






Outbreak recess is a collaborative project between Boston University School of Public health, outbreak group and School of Visual Arts, Graphic design.

Outbreak recess aimed to illustrate information on prevention tips and tactics for cleaning toys/classroom for daycare facilitators and teachers while being engaging and attractive to daycare children.

The origin of the word “recess” comes from a mixture of the Latin word, “recessus” and the English word, “recede”, both of which indicate withdrawal or departure in the mid 16th century.  Hence the name “Outbreak Recess” meant withdrawing the spread of the virus while drawing from the correlation of the term in a academic setting.

The project included divising informative COVID-19 safety posters for classroom/ daycares and social media awareness posts for teachers and the school. These informative posters share details on how to properly use cleaning supplies and the time it takes for them to kill the virus. A short instagram awareness campaign was devised under the account @outbreakrecess with official hashtags which were: #outbreakrecess and #lessfearmorecare.

The overall mood of the project was constructed based on the possible site of installation of these posters which were essentially daycare and kindergarten school premises. Hence, the voice and tone of the project was maintained in a positive, playful, colourful and relatable manner. The approach was focused on narration through character design with the aid of illustration, simple animation and streamlined text.

A tilled narrative poster was made for children to engage and play with while a more elaborately descriptive information poster was deviced for the adult daycare facilitators.






Initial iterations—Chararcter design and symbolical elements






Initial iterations—Poster for facillitators






Initial iterations—Narrative posters for children









Final Character Design
Final character designs were made in different shapes, sizes and colours to promote inclusivity amongst children. All characters came with masks and gloves indicating these safety precautions are normal in nature, in the hopes of imbibing good habits in the children. We shaped the mask to imitate a smile and show expressions as if it is part of the character’s body. We had all realised how much we miss catching expressions of our friends in person since the onset of the pandemic, and hence this decision the children didn’t have to compromise on guessing how the characters were feeling and what they are emoting.





Final tilled narrative activity poster for children to color






Final informative poster for facillitators







Short narrative animations















Avoid sharing between children, have individual baskets for kids. Machine washable toys should be used by one individual at a time or not at all.

#outbreakrecess











Disinfect frequently touched surfaces: door handles, faucets, toilet bowl levers, stools, light switches, countertops, toilet training potties, chairs, tables, desks, nap pads, playground structures or equipments.

#outbreakrecess



















Children's books or other paper-based materials are not considered high risk or transmission and do not need additional cleaning procedures.

#outbreakrecess