Finding Stories in Unexpected Places:
What We Learn When Looking Down
September 12, 2023 // 3 minute read
I have a slight fascination with the built environment. To me cities and neighborhoods are urban collages or patchwork quilts, joined together but always in a state of flux as something is knocked down, built up or otherwise improved upon or let go of in some way, often in plain sight.
I also enjoy traveling to different parts of the world. One reason why is being able to compare other built environments with ones I’m used to. As a designer, I’m always fascinated by the multitude of ways people solve some of the same universal problems, why they took that particular approach and the resulting impact on the people living with it.
On a recent overseas trip, I realized the thread tying these two interests together is design decisions. There’s the utilitarian (keeping people safe, for example) crossing over with the experiential (provide a moment of delight upon discovery).
A perfect example is the variety of utility covers you can find throughout Japan.
What I love about these metallic vignettes is that like the best design, they are both practical and lyrical. Their purpose is intuitively understood but the look and feel is not only ownable to the country as a whole but often to the individual cities themselves, telling a story about the history of the place.
But first, allow me to take a step back.
Certain covers are for a very specific audience. In densely urban areas, fire hydrants are subterranean connections accessed in the street. The examples here include pictures of a fire engine or water droplets to quickly communicate what lies beneath. No translation needed.
For the water main (or maybe a meter), the amazing illustration of a gushing faucet feels like a Lichtenstein artwork dropped onto the pavement. Again, the story is told within moments.
But my favorites are the full-size manhole covers that include a history lesson about the city they’re found in. Pictures of castles, fauna and plants are a pleasant reminder of what joins all of the citizens together, a shared history and a shared future. Civic pride that comes through investing in and preserving something bigger than you, the individual.
My photography here is observational, not comprehensive. If you’re a fan of what you see, I suggest a quick image search to find even more.
And the highly-regarded design firm Pentagram self-published a book of London’s manhole covers, showing that Japan hasn’t cornered the market on moments of civic serendipity.
We’re habitually looking up whenever we explore someplace new. But, like so many treasures, the biggest rewards sometimes lie beneath our feet. I’m down with that.
Thoughts? Questions? Let me know.
Elliot Strunk, an award-winning designer with over 25 years of experience, is the Creative Director of Studio H. You can learn more about him here.