[imagesource: here]

An entirely new industry has opened up since the lockdown took effect.

People have been manufacturing and selling the cloth face masks that we’re all required to wear when leaving the house.

Many of them are practical, but we’ve also seen some creative and fashionable models out there so that you don’t only have to express yourself with the top half of your face.

Then there are some odd innovations, like this picnic blanket (pictured above) that is more reminiscent of a baseball pitch than something you’d want to eat your lunch on.

Over to urdesignmag:

London-based designer Paul Cocksedge has imagined a design-led solution for social distancing, as the reality of long-term spacing becomes a likely measure post-lockdown.

Cocksedge was inspired to create ‘Here Comes The Sun’ – a proposal for a post-lockdown future, that can help people socialize safely and confidently once restrictions have been eased. The blanket has been designed to help people maintain the required two-meter distance, in a range of social occasions such as being on a picnic or sunbathing with friends.

Cocksedge – great name.

Or, we could just use our brains and sit the requisite distance apart on separate blankets.

“Lockdown has given rise to some amazing bursts of creativity, and I wanted to create something positive, that looks towards the future,” says Cocksedge on his design.

“Technology has been a huge help in recent weeks, allowing people to stay connected digitally. But there’s a real feeling of how desperate people are to get back out in the world and interact with each other in real life. Post-lockdown, that socializing comes with uncertainty.”

All of that is true, but still – separate blankets.

He goes on to describe the blanket as a “playful answer” to how hard it is to measure distance.

Let’s call it what it is – a picnic blanket with extra steps as evidenced in this short instructional video:

If you’re intent on making one of these, you can find the free pattern and step-by-step instructions, here.

[source: urdesign]