100 Days is an annual project at New York City’s School of Visual Arts that was founded by Michael Bierut. Each year, the students of the school’s Master’s in Branding Program spend 100 days documenting their process with a chosen creative endeavor. This year, we’re showcasing each student in the program by providing a peek into ten days of their project. You can keep an eye on everyone’s work on our SVA 100 Days page.
Love is an emotion that everyone can feel, no matter where they come from, but the expression of love is different in every culture. As a hopeless romantic, Reema strongly believes in the power of love. Inspired by her travels, she set out on a 100 day journey to explore how various cultures around the world define love. This includes inquiries into traditions of love and marriage, linguistic expressions, symbols, and behaviors, among other aspects. She takes snippets from her findings and visualizes them in the form of a handmade paper card.
You can follow the project on Instagram @100daysoflovelanguages and learn more about Reema at her website.
The Taj Mahal is a beautiful mausoleum built out of white marble, commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz.
Bem Casados are traditional Brazilian sweet treats whose name means “happily married” in Portuguese. These cookies consist of dulce de leche sandwiched between two small discs of sponge cake and are served at weddings to represent the union of the couple.
The Lebanese have an intense way of expressing for love. The phrase “taqburni” تقبرني means “I can’t live without you,” with the literal translation being, “you put me in my grave.”
A unique way to do a marriage proposal in true Singapore style would be to pop the question “Will you go BTO with me?” This refers to applying for a built-to-order house, which usually takes 4-5 years to build, showcasing the commitment in the relationship.
The Bangrak neighborhood in Thailand is a popular location for registering marriages, especially on Valentine’s Day. The name can be translated from Thai to “village of love.”
The Welsh gift lovespoons as a romantic gesture. These are hand carved wooden spoons decorated with various symbols of love, traditionally intended to showcase the skills of the carver.
The Qixi or Double Seven festival is a traditional Chinese festival that’s celebrated love since the Han Dynasty. It is based on a romantic legend of two lovers that could come together only once a year. It falls on the 7th day of the 7th month on the Lunar calendar.
The English traditionally sent anonymous valentines to their love interests, a custom that originated in the Victorian Era.
Slovenians celebrate spring and love on March 12, Saint Gregory’s Day, a version of Valentine’s Day. It is said that on this day, birds are joined in wedlock. According to an old custom, the first bird a young women sees in the sky indicates the type of husband she will marry.
Finland has its own unique emoji for love. It is the first country in the world to produce and publish its own set of country-themed emojis. They use the emoji “Finnish love” to express a hard-to-describe emotion: the quiet, but deep way that Finns love.