Inspiring Ethical Graphic Designers Across the Globe

When RCC (Rockland Community College) student Sunday Oluwasomi met someone from his hometown during an online collaborative Graphic Design class, we were all excited. The distance between Suffern, NY and Pretoria, South Africa suddenly become infinitely smaller. It was truly a moment that shows how we are all connected.The ongoing classroom collaboration that I've had the pleasure of participating in with Herman Botes from TUT (Tshwane University of Technology) Pretoria, South Africa is focused on inspiring and teaching future designers to work ethically in our industry and primarily focuses on issues of Graphic Design Advocacy. Herman and I met in 2013 when I was invited to TUT to lecture on topics from my book, Ethics: A Graphic Designer's Field Guide. As a result of our meeting, we've been building bridges between our two cultures through student projects with the support of COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) ever since.Recent events include Liz Resnick's Graphic Design Advocacy exhibit at TUT, our COIL presentation in Chicago, and a podcast for CAA (College Art Association) about ethics in graphic design last month. Upcoming events include the release Educating Citizen Designers in South Africa, co-authored by Herman Botes.As our ongoing collaboration continues to grow, so does our belief in how important it is for both students and educators, as well as our gratitude for the opportunity.

Celebrating Mother's Day

Mother’s Day is a celebration that honors our mothers and the influence of mothers in society. It's usually celebrated with flowers and gifts. The truth is the horrors and atrocities that exist in our world and flies in the face of these rituals."Women's Rights are Human Rights: International Posters on Gender-based Inequality, Violence, and Discrimination,” is an exhibit organized and curated by Elizabeth Resnick, professor of graphic design at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. The 84 posters presented challenge viewers to acknowledge the challenges women face around the world.The exhibit opened at Mass Art last Fall and is traveling internationally with events already hosted in Taipei, Seoul, Greece, and Mexico. The posters are currently installed in the B2 Gallery of the Warsaw Poster Museum.The unframed exhibition is available to travel internationally for a small rental fee. Please contact Elizabeth Resnick (Elizabeth.Resnick@massart.edu) if you are interested.This year as we celebrate Mother's Day, let's give some thought to how mothers throughout the world are treated and consider ways to help.Sources:http://posterpage.ch/exhib/ex350wom/ex350wom.htmhttps://news.northeastern.edu/2017/03/new-poster-exhibit-reinforces-that-womens-rights-are-human-rights/http://www.graphicart-news.com/womens-rights-are-human-rights/#.WRBCBFPyvBVhttp://www.printmag.com/daily-heller/womens-rights-posters/http://eyemagazine.com/blog/post/human-rights-by-any-other-name