Under CNSTRCTN
Samarth Bhatia
The Design Problem: I love NYC, and I’ve wanted to live here ever since I was little, but I've never connected with the typical city merch—the keychains, fridge magnets, and snow globes of the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty. They feel generic and distant from the city I experience every day.
This project reimagines NYC merchandise through my own lens, and reflects a world that parallels what I see in reality, which is a world that is built on the “white noise” of the city, the visual culture that surrounds me at all times. The project captures what it actually feels like to walk through New York City: the strange, low-key moments, the industrial scaffolding and construction sites clashing with classical and Art Deco architecture, all set within a grid that makes the city feel like a video game.
The first collection of the world introduces the mascot, known as the CNSTRCTN Man, alongside elements of the city such as the water tank, subway entrance, and a random yellow corner—all scaled down to bring vibrancy to a desk environment. The toys are complemented by the CNSTRCTN Manual, an introductory zine featuring a comic short story. Additionally, an open-world simulation lets players experience the world through the eyes of the CNSTRCTN Man.
This project gives form to a subconscious world that has been brewing in my mind—a fictional reality I have experienced since my first visit to NYC.