United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Why?
We just addressed open texts and hypertexts, as well as social aesthetics, which address ideas of co-authors and connected information networks. We have also had conversations about ethics and truth in design that can apply to day-to-day design work—you can work ethically and honestly as you conduct your business. Leveraging design for public good has a number of names: socially engaged design, socially conscicous design, and humanitarian design and although there is a lot of overlap between them all, each are slightly different. These readings will give you an glimpse into some of these ideas and the discussions taking place around work that is seeking to do good in the world.
Required
Supplementary Readings
- Socially Conscious Design
-
What is ‘Good Design’ Anyway?, Think Design
“A requirement of good design must be to understand and to measure impact. Not just financial impact. But social impact. That’s complicated. It’s not easy. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. How often do we ask, in what ways could this app / chatbot / website / brochure I’m designing cause someone harm? Who haven’t we spoken to? Who have we forgotten?”
- Socially Conscious Graphic Design
-
Designing for Social Change
“Social responsibility needs to be addressed more within the design field. It needs to be introduced and taught to students at an early stage of their education, so as they fully understand the power and influence that their creations will have over society, and the role this plays in materialism, overconsumption and our modern day consumer-culture. Change needs to be made within graphic design and the urgency for this grows more and more for each day that passes. The graphic designer needs to critically reflect over the purpose of their work and answer the question of whom it stands to serve: their audience or consumer-culture. They need to move away from the creation of artificial needs and the promotion of unnecessary products, and move towards the creation of more useful and lasting communication that contributes to society.” - Socially Conscious Photography
-
How Images Trigger Empathy, The Atlantic
“While looking back and trying to make sense of a year just ended, we often focus on its most hopeless parts, the violence and acrimony. Last year did include plenty of negativity to mourn. But it also reminded us of an important lesson about how to access our better angels. Three recent events shined a light on how empathy works—and one reason why it often does not.”
Photographs from the Centre of a Tragedy, Al Jazeera
“When Massoud Hossaini arrived outside the Abdul-Fazil shrine in Kabul mid-morning on Tuesday he thought he would be there to photograph young Shia worshippers taking part in the Ashoura Day observances for the AFP news agency. As he walked towards the shrine, a little girl dressed in green—a traditional colour for Ashoura observances—caught his eye. He had no idea that amongst the very crowd he walked in was a bomber who would set off an unprecedented attack against Afghanistan’s Shia minority.”
- Socially Conscious Illustration
-
I am still looking for good examples of writing for illustration.
- Design as Activism
-
Girls Garage
“Girls Garage is a nonprofit design and building program and dedicated workspace for girls ages 9-18. Through classes in carpentry, welding, architecture, and activist art, we support and equip a community of fearless girls who are building the world they want to see. Established 2013.”
The Center for Artistic Activism
“In 2009, the Center for Artistic Activism saw artists struggling to affect change, but without the practical skills to implement their visions. Elsewhere we saw frustrated activists, repeating their traditional marches, petition drives, and vigils until they became frustrated and moved on. We saw movements for social change stagnating with wins coming more by luck than planning. The Center for Artistic Activism started bringing these practices together to transform art and activism, using the best of each to leverage creativity and culture and successfully bring about social change.”
What Design Can Do
“At What Design Can Do we believe in the power of design and creativity to transform society. Money, governments or science can’t solve complex global issues on their own. We need fresh ideas, alternative strategies and provocative thoughts.”
Epicenter
“Epicenter stewards creative initiatives that honor the past, strengthen the present, and build the future that we envision with our community. Located in Green River, Utah, Epicenter is a vibrant hub for rural development and cultural exploration of the high desert of southeastern Utah. Beyond our region, Epicenter advocates for rural communities and contributes to the dialogue on contemporary place-based work in the United States. Epicenter is a 501(c)(3) public charity nonprofit organization.”
- Humanitarian Design
-
Just Design: Socially Conscious Design for Critical Causes (excerpts)
“Designer Paula Scher lamented that today's young designers have largely abandoned their roles as improvers of our general visual environment, asserting that many ‘only want to work in cultural work, or not-for-profit work, or on projects they perceive as “good-for-society.” She goes on to say that these designers are encouraged to shun mainstream corporate work by the way design is being taught in design schools an grad programs, and by the attention that the professional community lavishes on well-meaning but otherwise esoteric projects.”Teaching Design for Change, TED
“Designer Emily Pilloton moved to rural Bertie County, in North Carolina, to engage in a bold experiment of design-led community transformation. She’s teaching a design-build class called Studio H that engages high schoolers’ minds and bodies while bringing smart design and new opportunities to the poorest county in the state.”
What Design Can Do: Emily Pilloton and Project H
“Emily Pilloton is the founder and executive director of Project H Design. She was recently awarded a $15,000 Adobe Foundation grant to support work on her new book Design Revolution: 100 Projects That Empower People, which is available for order now, from Metropolis Books.”
Is Humanitarian Design the New Imperialism?, Fast Company
“But should we take a moment now that the movement is gathering speed to ask whether or not American and European designers are collaborating with the right partners, learning from the best local people, and being as sensitive as they might to the colonial legacies of the countries they want to do good in. Do designers need to better see themselves through the eyes of the local professional and business classes who believe their countries are rising as the U.S. and Europe fall and wonder who, in the end, has the right answers? Might Indian, Brazilian and African designers have important design lessons to teach Western designers?”
Humanitarian Design vs. Design Imperialism: Debate Summary, Fast Company
“Bruce Nussbaum started a firestorm with the question ‘Is humanitarian design the new imperialism?’—and the conversation has spread through the blogosphere. Here, a digest of essays and related posts on this subject.”
Response Questions
Remember to cite specific instances from the text to support your views.
- We often focus on the message of a design as being the thing that does good in the world. What might be other aspects of a design that could also be doing good? How might that impact your view of your current and future practice?
- How might you approach doing good through your practice? Will it be the focus of your practice, ancillary, or absent (but found in other aspects of your life)? Does your design have to do good?