PRISM - Maze of Empathy
Branding of a theme park outdoors hedge maze containing four escape room, each one teaching a principle in NVC.
branding \\ packaging
\\ ux\ui
2024
school project
prism - maze of Empathy is a large-scale, narrative-driven hedge maze designed to guide visitors through the core principles of Nonviolent Communication (NVC).
At its heart are four escape rooms, each representing a key NVC concept: observation, feeling, need, and request. As visitors progress through the maze, they engage in challenges and puzzles that require self-reflection, perspective-taking, and emotional awareness.
The project combines immersive storytelling, spatial design, and educational psychology to create a playful yet meaningful experience that invites people to better understand themselves—and each other.
concept
The concept behind the Empathy Maze was to transform the abstract principles of Nonviolent Communication into a physical, interactive journey.
By placing each core concept - observation, feeling, need, and request - at the center of its own escape room, the maze becomes a metaphor for navigating emotional complexity.
Visitors don’t just learn about empathy—they experience it through movement, problem-solving, and guided self-discovery. The design invites curiosity and play while encouraging deep personal insight.
vision
To create a space where emotional awareness and empathy are explored through immersive, interactive design.
mission
To translate the principles of Nonviolent Communication into a physical experience that fosters connection, self-understanding, and meaningful dialogue.
map \\ the facility
The Empathy Maze is housed within a carefully designed outdoor facility featuring a living hedge structure and four uniquely themed escape rooms.
At the entrance, visitors receive a printed map, Its rich colors and playful typography invite exploration, while carefully crafted visual cues highlight each of the four escape rooms and key landmarks within the hedge maze.
Integrated into the map is a QR code that activates an AI guide—an empathetic digital companion that offers hints, reflections, or redirection if participants feel lost, both physically and emotionally.
This blend of analog and digital design ensures that each visitor can navigate the maze at their own pace,
with support when needed.
design
Design plays a central role in shaping the Empathy Maze into a fully immersive, multi-sensory experience. The brand book sets the tone with a richly layered, interactive format—featuring cut-out pages that invite tactile exploration.
It introduces the maze’s visual language through a custom typeface built from modular geometric shapes, echoing both the logic of the maze and the structure of empathetic communication.
Extending this language into physical form, we created jigsaw puzzles packaged in sculptural, geomancy-inspired boxes—designed not just as souvenirs, but as symbolic tools for reflection and connection.
The experience continues online with a sleek, intuitive reservation website and a companion app that brings the illustrated map to life and connects visitors to the AI guide—seamlessly integrating digital interaction with the physical, emotional journey.
packaging
The package design is rooted in symbolism, play, and sensory engagement.
Inspired by geomantic shapes and natural forms, each package features sculptural structures, layered textures, and unexpected openings that invite curiosity and interaction.
Materials were carefully chosen for their tactile qualities, reinforcing the physicality of the maze experience.
Bold yet harmonious color palettes reflect the emotional spectrum explored throughout the journey, while the custom geometric typeface ties every element back to the visual system.
Each package is designed not only to hold objects
but to embody the values of empathy, exploration, and transformation.
custom font
The custom font is built entirely from simple geometric forms - circles, squares, and triangles - designed to echo the structure and intentionality of the maze itself.
While minimalist in construction, the typeface carries emotional weight through its balance of precision and warmth, reflecting the clarity and openness at the heart of Nonviolent Communication.
Used throughout signage, printed materials, and digital interfaces, the font creates a unified visual voice that is both approachable and thoughtfully constructed. Its modularity also allows for playful variations, reinforcing the project's themes of flexibility, interpretation, and connection.
xu\ui
The UX/UI design for the Empathy Maze is bold, colorful, and engaging - reflecting the emotional energy and playful nature of the physical experience.
The website features a vibrant interface designed to make the reservation process intuitive and inviting, using large typography, dynamic shapes, and a rich, expressive color palette drawn from the maze’s visual language.
The mobile app extends this energy into the experience itself, offering an interactive map and real-time access to the AI guide. Both platforms are designed to feel alive and responsive, seamlessly connecting visitors to the maze’s world before, during, and after their journey.
web design
The website was designed as an energetic, immersive introduction to the experience.
More than just a booking platform, it sets the emotional tone through bold color blocking, animated geometric elements, and a layout that mimics the maze’s rhythm - inviting exploration rather than just navigation.
The interface balances clarity with curiosity, ensuring users feel both guided and intrigued. Every detail, from micro-interactions to typography, reinforces the idea that empathy can be both structured and dynamic.
