The Hello initiative is a project managed and led by Iranian designer Farshad Areffar, which invited numerous designers from across the globe to design a logotype visualizing the word "Hello" in their native language. This is represented by using design cues based on their country's culture, symbolisms or any popular thing that specific country is known for. On September 21 the world will be celebrating "International Peace Day" and I was invited to be apart of this wonderful project that unites designers from across the world to create a symbol of unity and peace amongst the nations of the world, through our diversity but common goal. The aim of this project as stated by Farshad is to "let everyone who sees the project to a have peace and loving feeling for even just a minute and love each other."

The rationale for my design centers around the typical greeting amongst Jamaicans (especially Jamaican men). They will do a handshake that involves a slight cuff at the fingertips and quickly rubbing their thumbs against the other. This handshake is usually done between two people of high respect or long friendship and is a very casual and highly used handshake in Jamaica, even in some cases with women. The heart around the handshake represents love/unity and the three symbols inside the heart represent 3 major characteristics of the Jamaican culture and society. These are; Music, Nature (Landscape) and the diverse people (dots).

In Jamaica our most frequent colloquial term for ‘Hello’ is “Wah Gwaan” 

Link to the main project which features over 130 designers worldwide can be found here