Where are the Black Graphic Designers?
Cheryl D. Holmes Miller has been on a journey answering the question "Where are the Black Graphic Designers?" for the past 50 years. In 1987 she published her seminal PRINT article “Black Designers: Missing in Action.” In 2016 she wrote a follow-up and in 2020 she wrote a four-part volume, exploring the topic from many angles including education, design organizations, and the historic roots of the black graphic designer.Cheryl is both fearless and optimistic, enjoy and learn from her presentation to a group of graphic design students this month: https://vimeo.com/510027004You can find her articles here:https://www.printmag.com/post/from-black-designers-missing-in-action-to-forward-in-action-3-essential-industry-articles
Fighting Racism with Data Visualization
As protests against the pandemic of racism continue around the world, designers are using data visualization to help with the fight and also put out a call to action to those in power, including celebrities.Data Visualization Specialist, Divya Prabhakar, decided to look at colorism, a facet of racism, and how Bollywood stars are contributing to the problem. Many of the stars are guilty of not only lightening their own skin and being part of a culture that celebrates "whiteness," but of also endorsing skin lightening product endorsements.Her engaging introduction points to how systemic the problem is and how young the indoctrination starts. Take a moment to read it and then consider the many ways racism is introduced and encouraged in our culture and society.Sources and further reading:http://www.thecolorofbollywood.com/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/0
Battling Racism with Art and Design
The battle against racism needs to be fought on all fronts. Whether they marching, or making art that engages us emotionally and intellectually, artists and designers are doing their part.Take a look at visual artist Micheline Hess' visceral and powerful views of racism:https://www.instagram.com/tv/CA1W2MbhkDM/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheethttps://www.instagram.com/p/CA_eSQHD32p/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_linkIllustrator Marven Laguerre is making images to inspire us:https://www.instagram.com/p/CA5u37DjD-k/?igshid=1905w7xitfiu3https://www.instagram.com/p/CBHZWJKDTM3/?igshid=y31955yc6vp5The fences blocking the White House have been covered in protest art:
Information and data are indisputable in this infographic:
What have you seen that is helping to fight the battle?
Celebrating Earth Day and Students as Citizen Designers
Graphic Design students are tasked with learning about color, typography, space, and form. It's a bonus when projects can include issues of global citizenship and environmental awareness.Students at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York worked with students at Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria, South Africa through COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) this semester to learn about environmental issues in each other's local communities before COVID19 closed down both of their campuses.Michael Gruia and Marcela Daloia's topic was Spekboom, a carbon miracle worker indigenous to South Africa that is more effective in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than the Amazon rainforest. The local community in South Africa is taking matters into their own hands and planting as much as possible. They asked Rockland Community College students to help spread the word.You can learn more about Spekboom here: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200203-the-south-african-plant-fighting-climate-changePlease let us know if you have a student project that can help spread environmental awareness.
HOPE—inspired by the past, needed more than ever
HOPE is a large-scale typographic installation installed in Durham, England to commemorate and honor the centenary of WWI. The installation evokes powerful emotions by sharing memories from local men and women about their experiences with war and conflict.This past March, Oxfam invited Yemeni artists from all over the country to submit work that shows how the current war is affecting women and girls. The work is powerful and illustrates the human impact of the past three years of this US supported Saudi Arabian military offensive in Yemen which has caused death, starvation, and the largest cholera crisis on record.Recently, NY Times photographer Tyler Hick's image of seven-year-old Amal Hussein brought attention once again to the horrible plight of Yemeni civilians and the toll this war is taking.As graphic designers, we have the power to engage people through their senses—evoking hope, empathy, and hopefully action. Let's hope that their emotions are evoked enough now to create change, rather 100 years from now.Sources:https://www.dexigner.com/news/31650https://www.a-n.co.uk/events/hope-installation/https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/stories/yemen-art-gallery/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/07/podcasts/the-daily/yemen-saudi-arabia-amal-hussain-photo.html
Inclusivity in Graphic Design
Inclusivity means "an intention or policy of including people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those who are handicapped or learning-disabled, or racial and sexual minorities." Graphic designers intersect with this in a number of ways, including creating symbols that foster inclusivityIn Elizabeth Guffy's recent article for the NY Times, "A Symbol for 'Nobody' That's Really for Everybody," she writes about the power of graphic symbols in helping people feel safe and included. Guffy candidly shares her personal experience and how a simple infographic takes on much more meaning then merely guiding people to park, it allows millions to fully participate.Guffy was inspired to write about the symbol, originally conceived by Danish designer Susanne Koefoed in 1968, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. Koefoed designed the symbol in a competition sponsored by the United Nations and the International Standards Organization. It wasn't widely used until 1990, when George W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and made it official. It is now found on road signs, parking signs, and official documents in all 50 states.Since its conception, the symbol has evolved through efforts like the "Accessible Icon Project" in order to create an icon that features a more dynamic figure and shows individuals with physical disabilities in a new light. The newer symbol has been legally accepted in New York and Connecticut as a replacement for the original icon.Look for the symbols in your neighborhood, are they present, have they been updated? And think about ways you can influence inclusivity.Sources:https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/25/opinion/a-symbol-for-nobody-thats-really-for-everybody.htmlhttps://www.aiga.org/inclusive-accessible-icon-project-icon-wheelchairhttp://accessibleicon.org/
Documenting the Undocumented
A Paper Monument for the Paperless is a graphic design advocacy project started by Himmelsbach®, a social artist from Amsterdam.The project consists of a series of sixty woodcut portraits created by 19 different artists that features the faces of undocumented refugees. The street is mobilized as citizens (illegally) distribute and paste the posters throughout city streets. Himmelsbach started the project in Amsterdam and it has spread across Europe. The image above was found in a street passage in Krakow.Himmelsbach created the project to raise awareness about the refugee crisis and to put a face on the undocumented. During a time when anti-refugee sentiment is spreading across the globe, he is one of the artists who are fighting back to change the narrative and help those in need.Contact Domenique Himmelsbach de Vries if you would like to participate and spread the posters throughout your city.Sources:https://www.himmelsbach.nl/?page_id=373https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-art-of-documenting-the-undocumented/
Helping women tell their #MeToo stories
Women's History Month is being celebrated this year under the shadow of the #MeToo movement.The Miami Herald marked this year by speaking with women during a women's circle organized by the Miami Workers Center. The people telling the stories were not celebrities, but everyday people. The women talked about the awful memories that the #MeToo movement has triggered in them. One woman, Yuleidy González-Nieto, who has been a victim of abuse since childhood, says that she is glad people have come forward, but the stories she is hearing feel "like getting punched in the face." The movement has made it harder for her to hide from her trauma.The women's words inspired the Miami Herald to turn them into poetry and ask female artists to illustrate them. Yuleidy González-Nieto was one of the illustrators. She said creating art helps her heal, "art is a positive way of liberating negative energy. Art heals."Sources:http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article204250389.htmlhttp://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article193844849.html
Celebrating African Activists
Nigerian artist Fred Martins is making a name for himself as a graphic design advocate.In this series, Martins celebrates African activists with the clever use of the afro comb to create visual metaphors for each, creating their silhouette with the help of the comb. The high contrast of elements along with the use of space enhances the powerful impact that each of his subjects have had. The afro comb emulates the black fist, symbolizing freedom and power against the bold orange background which is associated with the incarceration each of them faced during their lifetime.In past projects, Martins has used graphic design to evoke emotion and raise awareness about important issues like climate change with a goal toward creating global stewards.View the entire Afro Comb series to see how Martins portrays important activists like Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Patrice Lumumba and Fela Kuti and learn about his inspiration for the series.Sources:http://www.designindaba.com/articles/creative-work/afro-comb-used-nigerian-artist-celebrate-african-consciousness?utm_source=Design+Indaba+mailing+list&utm_campaign=503d47f716-Weekly_Newsletter_18_May_20165_18_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_eb8e2b1d91-503d47f716-429312541http://www.okayafrica.com/culture-2/nigerian-artist-using-afrocombs-revere-righteous-african-activists/