Wednesday, November 14, 2018

00 Essay

My work in visual communication is best described, in the words of UK designer Jonathan Barnbrook, as an interest in using "design as a weapon for social change". 1 There are popular terms floating around the design world right now such as "socially conscious," "design for good," and "design activist." Which, for myself, represent a paradigm shift that I intent to strongly participate in. Beginning in the original 1964 First Things First Manifesto2 graphic designers are increasingly recognizing their role as media shapers and the power they have. There is not a single piece of communication we have today that has not passed through the hands of a visual communicator (formally educated or otherwise). As Noah Scalin has put it, the value of graphic design "is to give a voice to people and causes that deserve to be heard." 3

I have had the opportunity to work in a creative capacity for several community or non-profit groups including Weber State's Multicultural Student Center and church soup kitchens. It was in doing so that I was able to learn the biggest area in which design could add to social causes. As accurately explained by Dan Pallotta in a TED talk, everyone who donates to a cause expects their money to go directly to the cause and not towards raising additional funding  for the cause.4  They think it would be immoral to use donated money to advertise for non-profit groups. In reality, case studies have shown that if donated money were used in marketing for a cause, it could double or triple the dollar amount spent on the cause in the long run. Graphic designers willing to work in advertising for social causes pro-bono or taking on self directed campaigns can be a major help in this area of the non-profit dilemma.

My future career goal is to seek out work for a design studio doing commercial work while pursuing community work on the side through free-lance and self directed projects. I will seek to give at least four hours a week to design for good projects as advised by David Berman.5 Then after some time, I would like to go into business for myself starting a socially conscious group, something akin to Worldstudio Inc. or Another Limited Rebellion Inc. seeking out clients who share my own interests in benefiting social causes such as hunger, homelessness and drug addiction.

Endnotes
1. Marcus Leis, Allion. Emigre.com, "Emigre Font Design Information." Last modified
               2009. Accessed August 23, 2013. http://www.emigre.com/EFfeature.php?di=197

2. Ken , Garland. "First Things First 1964 manifesto." November 29, 1964.
http://www.designishistory.com/1960/first-things-first/ (accessed August 23, 2013)

3. Noah Scalin, & Michelle Tout. The Design Activists Handbook: How to Change the World (or at least your part of it) with Socially Conscious Design. 2011

4. Pallota, Dan. "TED Talks." The way we think about charity is dead wrong March 13 2013. Web,  

         http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_about_charity_is_dead_wrong.html.

5. Berman, David B. "Final Chapter." Do Good: How Designers Can Change the World. Berkeley, CA:   AIGA, 2009. N. pag. Print



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