5.5 Studio wins Paris anti-Covid street signage contest

The design collective 5.5 Studio has won a competition launched by Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo to create new street signage near schools for post-pandemic social distancing. The project features blue wave motifs referencing the city's motto "Fluctuat nec mergitur" and the Seine River. Designer Anthony Lebossé stated the goal was to communicate clearly to diverse users—drivers, delivery vans, parents, children—while keeping a positive, non-intrusive aesthetic. Initially implemented at two pilot schools in the 4th and 19th arrondissements, the signage uses large blue waves for drivers and smaller white waves to remind students and parents to maintain distance. The design aims to gently guide behavior in urban spaces, a concept that could be relevant for other cities reopening schools in September.