Advocating for Accessibility

Ryan Seslow is a visual artist, educator, and accessibility advocate. He's using social media and his artistic practice this month to raise awareness and asking others to join him. Follow him on instagram and also take up the challenge to create art that raises awareness for the deaf this month.https://www.instagram.com/p/BnQ_iLlH-q_/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1q5g0dn5y5bvk

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/

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 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/ 

Students & Scientists Working Together

Graphic design is used for everything from advertising to information graphics to entertainment. Many feel that graphic design is at its best when it’s used for advocacy. Some go further and ask if graphic designers actually have a responsibility to use their skills to advocate for social causes. If doctors have a responsibility to take care of those that in critical condition, then one can reason that graphic designers have a responsibility to create communication which motivates people to take action on critical issues, like the condition of our planet.The 6th Extinction In-Motion Video Campaigns were created by Carnegie Mellon Communication Design students. The collaboration between the students, scientists, and conservationists was based on the idea that graphic designers can create a bridge between dry scientific data and the population that needs to hear it.In honor of this year’s Earth Day, take a few minutes to see how these students put their skills to work, and think about what you can do with yours.

Protesting through Design

Weeks before the Ferguson grand jury handed down their verdict, students in my graphic design class chose police brutality as their topic for a social awareness project. It was interesting and disturbing to see some of the facts that unfolded as they presented their research and drafts. When the grand jury decided not to indict in the Eric Garner case a few weeks later, we watched as their chosen topic became even hotter. We watched as people reacted with incredulity and horror. We watched as our small exhibit of the class’ posters stirred up controversy—creating heated conversations among those who loved the work and those who felt it was too one-sided.People are getting swept up in emotional outrage and are taking to the streets, marching on Washington, blocking traffic, and staging protests and die-ins against what they feel has been a serious injustice. Many echo the thoughts of Russell Simmons, who stated during a recent CNN interview that in over 150,000 cases that came before a grand jury, only 11 chose not to indict. The lack of indictments in these two most recent cases seems unbelievably one-sided.At times like this it’s important to look at the facts and the big picture. When doing so, we may become even more outraged.You can view more art from artists around the world protesting against the Ferguson verdict:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/05/ferguson-art_n_6257340.htmlSources:http://www.occupy.com/article/millions-march-december-13-anger-over-police-violence-sweeps-nationhttp://www.cnn.com/2014/12/11/us/police-slayings-reaction-roundup/

A great big club with spikes

In a video interview with Hillman Curtis, graphic designer James Victore likens graphic design to a great big club with spikes on it, best used to hit people over the head with.Graphic Design Advocacy—International Posters for the Digital Age: 2001-2012, is a traveling exhibit that does just that. Curated by Elizabeth Resnick from MassArt, the exhibit features 122 posters spanning the first decade of this century that address some of the most controversial and heart-breaking issues of our time. War, 9-11, the Gulf oil spill, global warming, human trafficking, and the tsunami in Japan are just some of the moments captured. In an interview for Print Magazine with Steven Heller, Resnick talks about the effect the internet has had on poster design, “the Internet has enabled designers to make and post visual commentaries without concern for the costs of labor, printing, and posting their work to air their opinions.”The exhibit has traveled across the globe for the past year, both on site and online, and is still traveling. While many lament the disappearance of print, it’s comforting to know that one of the strongest visual vehicles for protest and dissent—the poster—is still a powerful agent of advocacy. It’s inspiring to see what graphic designers can create as they wield their great big clubs with spikes.Sources:http://graphicadvocacyposters.org/posters/http://www.printmag.com/design-inspiration/graphic-advocacy-takes-a-stand/