Broaden

Broaden started at the University of Central Florida with a blindfold and two strangers. Michael introduced students to each other with their eyes covered, so the first thing they knew about each other was a voice. Two of the first participants ended up together for years.

The idea

Take away sight and the usual sorting stops. Age, race, ability, who somebody appears to date, all of it waits until after the conversation. What is left is the part people say they want anyway.

How it spread

Professor Cynthia Hutchinson brought it into her classroom, and it kept going from there. We built tools so anyone could run one without us: blindfolds that print on 8.5 by 11 paper, facilitation instructions, and question lists sorted by how deep a group is ready to go.

More than 5,400 people have been introduced this way.

Identity

A fused double sunrise, two arcs meeting, which is what an introduction does to a horizon. Cut out of a rectangle, the mark becomes a mask that frames a participant's face, so every photo becomes a logo. Retro type, warm sun colors, orange and black.

Website and field guide

Michael designed and built the site: question lists, blindfold templates, how-to pages, and a downloadable field guide, all free.

Still running

Teachers still use the method. Friendships that started under a paper blindfold are a decade old now.

Client: Mike Ideas

Sector: Community, activism

Disciplines: Brand identity, digital, art direction, workshops

Team: Joshua Moussa, Taylor Ashley, Joseph Almeida, Cynthia Hutchinson, Carlos Gonzalez, Michael Carrington, Kathy Bates, Susan Berkowitz, Michael Luis Diaz