Communication Design and Municipal Markets Recognition in the Mediterranean Context

Abstract

The communication design project Consumir Local explores the articulation between Silves Municipal Market and local community, seeking to value locally produced agro-food products. Communication design principles apply to culture and society, using cooperative design strategies and social innovation. In the scope of Cooperative Design, it uses Ideo's HCD toolkit to listen to the problems of the community through interviews, aiming at the subsequent design of a solution that responds to the problem, dignifying space and people. The valuation of the cultural heritage of the Municipal Markets and of local production and consumption allow the tourist to get involved in the local experience and to develop an active contact with the local gastronomy and practices. This offer fits into the sustainable tourism model because it values the cultural identity of the community and the ecosystem in which it is integrated.