Decolonizing Design
The notion of decolonizing design, designers, design organizations, and design education is a good one. Several initiatives have been underway that attempt to tackle the problem.Decentering Whiteness in Design History Resources has been put together by a self-described group of white design historians with the goal of decentering white people within the history of American design and the global history of design.They feel that the bibliography that they have put together is unique in that it focuses on race and ethnicity, looks at design history broadly within a wide theoretical and political range, is flexible and expansive, is thematic rather than chronologically organized, has a complete bibliography with annotations, and has a superior set of hashtags. The bibliography has a section of compelling assignments and student projects too.On another front, George Aye is tackling the problem by looking at design organizations, and primarily at one of the biggest ones around, AIGA.In his article, Dismantling White Supremacy Culture Within AIGA, featured on Medium this summer, Aye calls upon AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Artists) to check what the "A" in AIGA stands for. Aye states that if you look at the list of medalists featured on AIGA, the organization might be ready for a rebrand with a more apt name being WAIGA (White American Institute for Graphic Artists.)In June, as Black Lives Matter protests grew, the organization proclaimed solidarity with the movement. Aye noted that AIGA did not credit or give attribution to those from the DEI taskforce, like Antionette Carroll, who publicly resigned from AIGA's board in this past December due to the organization's unwillingness to address DEI issues from within. Others involved in this work who were also ignored include Caroline Hill, Michelle, Molitor, and Christine Ortiz.Aye composed a letter to AIGA asking them to take a pause and do some deep reflecting about what it means today to be an American designer instead of furthering white supremacy culture through their self-congratulatory cycle. His letter calls upon AIGA to look deeply into governance and operations and national strategic initiatives.As you read through the letter, you will see it's a big ask, but it's about time. If AIGA is sincere in their claim of solidarity with Black Lives Matter, it seems like they have no other choice.Sources:https://designincubation.com/design-news/decentering-whiteness-in-design-history-resources/https://medium.com/@george_aye/decolonizing-aiga-a6cc8fb8692e
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?
Celebrate Africa Day with a look toward the Future
Africa Day started in 1963 years ago when an initial 32 countries formed the African Union. While it’s not a public holiday, today 55 African countries mark its importance as a vehicle to build a better Africa every May 25th.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6xrBqrNwrA&feature=youtu.beNigerian-born artist Lekan Jeyifo's conceptual project Shanty Megastructures juxtaposes marginalized and impoverished communities with the coveted and booming real estate of Lagos, Nigeria and envisions this dystopian perspective to bring visibility to this issue. Jeyifo states, “The majority of the urban population in sub-Saharan Africa resides in slums and with rapid population growth, this percentage will only increase. It is essential that urban planning and infrastructural development reflect this fact.”Source:https://www.designindaba.com/articles/creative-work/artist-imagines-colossal-vertical-slums-lagos
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.
How designers are dealing with COVID-19
We are living in extraordinary times. We are not doctors or essential staff. Many of us already work at home and are used to working alone. But like the rest of the world, none of us are used to the unprecedented events unfolding around us. We will continue to do what we are trained to do, help spread the message through visual communication.At the front line, graphic designers working for the CDC have created a package of graphics and images for download and distribution in English, Spanish and Chinese.Design educators are sharing information, ideas, and resources for moving to online teaching.Illustrators and cartoonists on "The Nib" are spreading the word through humor and political parody as is designer Jure Tovrljan who reimagined iconic logos to bring attention to the situation.Sometimes designers get it wrong though, as author, educator, and design critic Steven Heller points out in his article, "The Worst Magazine Cover at the Worst Moment." Heller calls out New York Magazine for triggering and enabling panic, instead of helping to stop it.Designers don't have a lot of power, but remember to use the power you do have wisely, and be well.
Online Images Reinforce Bias
A recent study published in the Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology reveals that gender bias is alive and thrivingnon some of the biggest sites out there: Twitter, Shutterstock, NYTimes.com, and Wikipedia.Photos of professions like librarian, nurse, computer programmer, and civil engineers tended to reinforce existing stereotypes. Women were over-represented in fields like nursing and under-represented in fields like computer programming. When compared to employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, images shown on these sites had discrepancies with actual numbers. The disparity is more pronounced when automated algorithms are used on sites like Twitter as compared to curated sites like the NYTimes.com.The study suggests that more careful and direct curation would help with the problem. The goal is prevent bias from being designed into digital media platforms and artificial intelligence software.It's interesting to think that as flawed as humans are, they are actually better at this than machines.Source: https://hyperallergic.com/541323/online-images-reinforce-gender-biases-around-professions-study-says/
Big Data—Big Responsibility
A recent article by FastCompany has declared that it's official, data visualization has gone mainstream.While data visualizations have been created by graphic designers for years, 2019 included fashion wear from information designer Giorgia Lupi, who created a super popular, data-driven fashion collection for Other Stories, a co-lab that turns data visualizations into wearable stories. The clothing line is so popular that many of the items have sold out. The designs reveal the amazing achievements of three trailblazing female scientists. The collection is an excellent example of how Lupi strives to find the human element in data-driven narratives.The article by FastCompany discusses other moments in 2019, including Donald Trump's use of a data visualization as well as the introduction of reflective data visualization with Michelle Rial's book, Am I Overthinking It?It's important to remember that while discussions and investigations into data bias are not new, a plethora of information that is being represented with them serves as a call to action to be mindful of the blank spots. A recent article by Meg Miller for Eye on Design, focuses on the work of artist Mimi Onuoha, "The Library of Missing Datasets." Onuoha's project is a mixed-media installation that shows how big the blank spots are from data that has been left out. File cabinets that feature empty file folders with titles like "Publicly available gun trace data" and "Accurate Birth Registration" point to how much misinformation we are likely being served. Onuoha says, "Spots that we've left blank reveal our hidden social biases and indifferences."The article features many other examples that speak to the problem of not just data bias, but the danger of data blank spots; about power, who has it and who does not.As we move forward in world filled with data visualizations, it's important for designers to be informed and aware of all the implications of the data they are using.https://www.fastcompany.com/90450827/its-official-data-visualization-has-gone-mainstreamhttps://eyeondesign.aiga.org/finding-the-blank-spots-in-big-data/
How to Be Good
The notion of being a "good" designer has always been fraught with contradictions. Does it mean good technical skills, good concepts, good return on investment for clients, good intentions, or good design for the greater good? All are valid questions—in fact, history shows us that award-winning design may be both technically "good" while even advancing the most evil of causes.This past year the opening of "Design of the Third Reich" in the Netherlands caused quite a controversy. Proponents of the exhibit point to the academic world of design, where the art and design of totalitarian regimes is an established field of research. Critics find it's very nature offensive and have protested outside the museum since it opened, voicing concerns that it lacks proper social context and may fuel the fires of far-right ideologies.Perhaps the most current and critical area of ethical issues in design is in the area of product design and UX/UI. Mike Monteiro's article, "Dear Designer: Hope is Not Enough," leads with an anonymous quote from a Facebook employee where they state, "We’ve been behaving so badly that I hope the government comes in and regulates us."Monteiro’s article does offer hope when he talks about the 22,000 Google employees who staged a walkout in protest of their company's work with the government, and the Microsoft workers who protested against their company’s contract with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). However, when he discusses the unprecedented amount of data harvested from Google's 2.5 billion users and discusses the ethical responsibilities of designers who work there, he points to the elephant in the room and one of the biggest ethical dilemmas that today’s designers deal with—how to responsibly and ethically use this data in a manner that benefits users without compromising their privacy or society's well-being.Designers seeking to do good have always struggled with questions about who their client is and the products that they are promoting. The complicated world of data collection and product design has only added to the Pandora's box: as always, may those who open it beware.Sources:https://news.artnet.com/opinion/timo-de-rijk-nazi-design-1652641https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/17/arts/design/nazi-design-den-bosch.htmlhttps://modus.medium.com/dear-designer-hope-is-not-enough-70509b196a46
Making Magic using Cruelty-Free Practices
While 3D immersive VR experiences have been growing in popularity and are being used for a variety of entertainment purposes, Circus Roncalli has used the technology to be socially responsible and has created a magical and cruelty-free circus.The circus, which has been entertaining crowds since 1976, decided to swap out their animals for holograms to aid in fighting animal cruelty. Their fantastic creation has maintained the same level of excellence and excitement that they are known for. Using 3D holographic imagery and projectors, they have filled an arena with a 360° view.The change was a bold move that was spearheaded by Bernhard Paul, the Founder and Director of Circus-Theater Roncalli. In an interview with Paul, he states that the move was due to several factors; improvements in holography, the increase of congested highways for transporting animals and lack of green space for them, and an audience that was open and receptive to the idea. Paul says the audience is the biggest factor, and since they've made the change they have had 95% positive feedback.It's exciting to see designers using VR technology in a way that is socially responsible and advocates for cruelty-free practices. Here's a glimpse of the amazing holographic experience:Sources:https://educateinspirechange.org/nature/animals/german-circus-uses-holograms-instead-of-live-animals-for-a-cruelty-free-magical-experience/https://www.buzznet.com/2019/06/german-circus-holographic-technology/5/?chrome=1
Political Propaganda in the Age of Instagram
The use of social media in political campaigns is not new: the 2008 election was hailed as transformative in its use when Barack Obama became the first presidential candidate to successfully use social media platforms to communicate with voters. Since then social media has been considered an essential part of the political machine. So to see China using it so effectively in celebrating 70 years of communist rule last week was not a surprise. Social media is transformative, changing narratives in a way that political speeches could never do. As one person interviewed for a NY Times article says, “When I was growing up, it was considered uncool to be overtly patriotic and take photos with the national flag,” one person in China wrote of the outpouring of love among young people for their country. “Not anymore.”While Instagram is not allowed in China and the use of social media is highly censored, people there have no problem creating a similar experience using WeChat. In fact, so many people rushed to add the national flag logo to their WeChat profile, that they crashed the webpage. From enlisting superstars like Faye Wong to sing an updated and polished national anthem, to enlisting propaganda symbols of old like Lei Feng, the government has effectively created potent symbols for the internet age and in that way, a strong and censored propaganda machine where users have the illusion that they are in control.As the U.S. Democratic candidates tour the country in their efforts to gain supporters, the use of social media is no less intense. Liz Warren's fans are known to wait for hours to get a selfie with her and although the idea of snapping selfies with a candidate is not new, Warren's team has made it a centerpiece of their digital strategy. Selfies that are snapped with the American flag as a backdrop are meant to be shared online by her fans, and then retweeted by her own staff. And similar to China's changing narrative in what is cool, Warren's approach is intentionally aimed at getting voters to show their pride in supporting her.In the the twentieth century, poster design stands out as one of the primary vehicles for spreading political propaganda. In 2012, the Library of Congress released, Presidential Campaign Posters: Two Hundred Years of Election Art. The book shows political campaign posters from Andrew Jackson through Barack Obama and includes historical commentary. In 2017 Communist Posters was released and is considered the first major survey across the history and diversity of communist poster art. Countless other examples can be found.As social media and its importance becomes even more apparent in driving political campaigns, one can't help but wonder if the legacy of 21st century political propaganda will be the selfie.Sources:https://www.nytimes.com/2019/1
Photoshop: In the Name of the Law
For years there have been debates about truth in advertising and whether or not images that have been digitally altered should be labeled as such. Proponents say that digitally altered images used in beauty ads are harmful to consumers, that these ads are misleading, manipulative, and contribute to negative body images. The documentary “Killing Us Softly” by Jean Kilbourne reveals the misogynistic fantasy world of the undernourished, oversexed, and objectified women. Kilbourne makes an excellent case for how difficult it is to be healthy in a toxic cultural environment when the ideal is impossible to achieve.Opponents of labeling claim that this would require warnings on a multitude of advertising materials. For example, the roads used in car advertising are never as serene as they appear. If labeling is required for all digitally altered images, it would extend across a wide range of graphic imagery and require costly and time-consuming measures to enforce it.A recent New York Times article about an altered image used for a lineup highlights the argument taking place in another arena—not just the world of advertising, but in our justice system. Court records and interviews with police departments across the nation show that this has become a regular practice. Some criminal justice experts say that the practice can actually make lineups fairer by adding features to make it harder to distinguish the perpetrator from other suspects.Mat dos Santos, the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, thinks otherwise and states, “If you can’t do a good photo lineup, the answer is not to change the photos; the answer is a photo lineup just shouldn’t be done.”What do you think, have we reached a tipping point? Do we need laws in place when law enforcement is using Photoshop to alter evidence?Sources:https://www.pixelz.com/blog/photoshop-models-laws/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/24/us/police-photoshop-tattoos.html?smid=nytcore-ios-sharehttps://uclawreview.org/2017/06/21/truth-in-advertising-should-america-ban-photoshop/
Imagine a world without logos
Logorama from Marc Altshuler on Vimeo.The award-winning animated short, Logorama, does a wonderful job of showing how pervasive branding is in our lives in a clever and satirical parody.The art of crafting logos and creating brand identities has long been a mainstay of graphic design. Schooled in creating icons, it's hard to find an advertising or design company that doesn't have a dedicated section in their online portfolio for branding.In 1999 Naomi Klein wrote the bestselling book, "No Logo," where she reported on the dangers of global branding and how while our minds were elsewhere, superbrands ramped up their cannibalization of every aspect of our cultural lives. Klein critiqued the political power of superbrands.Twenty years later, branding is bigger than ever. People are encouraged to create their own personal brands. There are courses offered in it. High school counselors, job coaches, and other well meaning folks all stress how important this is.On the other hand, people are told personal branding is meaningless in an article by Fast Company aimed at Generation X. The article encourages them to seek out their professional ethos rather than their brand.Brands have become even bigger than Klein had predicted, with bespoke design soaring as a discipline, and entire branding companies describing themselves as bespoke brand specialists. Music festivals, charity events, product placement, social media, sports teams, and more are co-opted by logos of the brands they represent as companies strive for "brand engagement."Whether it is embracing our brand, rejecting our brand, or seeking to create a bespoke brand—the common denominator throughout is indeed branding. There's no question that creating the symbols for them—logos—is bigger than ever.Can you even imagine a world without logos?Sources:https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/aug/11/no-logo-naomi-klein-20-years-on-interviewhttps://www.fastcompany.com/90385831/you-are-not-a-brand?partner=rss
Ethics at the Core of Practice
Designer’s ethical conversations should include a deep self-reflective process related to the decisions they are making, who they are designing for, why, and the social and environmental impact behind the artifacts they are creating.—Juanita Londono
SCAD grad and fellow alum, Juanita Londono, recently completed her thesis as a quest to explore ways in which the practice of design can be redeemed by pushing for a more ethical practice.During her research process, Londono collected data from designers as well as other disciplines, including artists, engineers, and business administrators, about what areas of ethics they thought were most important. Participants were invited to interact with this reflective process by choosing topics and creating bracelets. Londono then took their choices and visualized the data in poster format as well as translucent pieces of artwork. Viewers walked through these data creations for an immersive and interactive experience. The presentation brought to life the myriad of topics that designers are faced with, as well as summarized what issues are most important to them.As part of her research, Londono looked long-standing tenets of a designer's education like the Bauhaus, the premiere school of design during the 20th century that has long been held as the gold standard. She also looked at The Doughnut Economics model proposed by Kate Raworth. The Doughnut provided her with an idea of the complex problems and needs of society that require designers' attention.Londono discusses how much design practice has changed since the Bauhaus and the need for Design Thinking to be the new standard, one which challenges assumptions and revolves around understanding the people for whom designers are designing. She proposes that ethics be the core of a designer's practice, rather than the end result that has been standard practice, and at the core of the Bauhaus model.
Londono's thesis discusses current research that has been done about the need for ethics in design. She also discusses the many ways ethics can be infused in design education, including the need to experience them in the field and away from academia and presents several case studies that can be used as models.Her findings led her to believe that an ethical baseline should be at the core of a designer's education. Introducing ethics to designers early in their education and keeping it front and center, is the best way to prepare them to address the complex problems society faces.Londono's project continues and she wants to continue to share the process of creating bracelets and collecting the results. If you'd to participate, please email her for a digital guide with instructions to create your own bracelets.Learn more about her project here: https://jlondi.com/ethics-in-design
AI and Creativity—Is It Ethical; Will It Kill Creativity?
By Guest Author, Frank J. Martinez The use of Artificial Intelligence tools such as machine learning and predictive analytics will eventually become a part of the design process, it is inevitable. At first, AI will find its way into the decision-making process forming the design brief, because decision makers always seek a competitive advantage and a principal risk reduction strategy in business processes is the reduction of uncertainty. These decision makers will falsely believe that AI will grant a competitive advantage, a short cut to consumer acceptance and profit without investing research and testing. Why focus group or explore alternative designs, when the marketplace has spoken?The danger and promise of using AI in design decision-making is that AI will bake in the biases that currently exist in design practice, theory and design education. How? The processes underlying AI will rely on the use of data collections called data sets that will be made up of existing images of works of design and, when complete, may also contain consumer purchase patterns. The result will be the “baking in” of the biases of the choices made when creating the data sets. This means that the decisions with respect to style, wealth, race, gender, sexuality and cultural identities will be incorporated in the AI decision-making process. Contrary to common belief, an AI computer can only work with the knowledge we give it and if AI is used in any design decision-making process, and it will be, such bias will form a silent but influential part of the design brief.Without a basic understanding of the processes underlying AI methods and how those processes generate a result, we can expect design decision makers will rely on a diet of culturally blind and biased design choices. This information will shape and guide the design brief, robbing it of the ineffable humanity that underlies good design. The role of the designer and design decision maker educated in the basics of AI is to be able to recognize when AI’s pernicious effects exist and to communicate the danger of overreliance on AI in the creative process. These design leaders will guide decision makers in understanding how the human-creative element in design can only be simulated by an algorithm, it can never be replaced.In a design context, a product manager may be tempted to use artificial intelligence to ask, what are the characteristics of a successful personal care product or packaging for a food product? An algorithm trained (machine learning) using existing data sets might have the “intelligence” to suggest the optimal package configuration for a product, design color way and type fonts and a retail price point in answer to the question. Furthermore, using data sets related to past purchasing patterns, buyer geodata and credit card use histories and other population data, the algorithm may even be able to suggest the optimal launch dates for such a product and provide consumer profiles and contacts based upon purchasing histories for such goods from Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Google searches. Nowhere in that product development workflow description do the words design or designer occur.A product or brand manager could, in theory, develop a design brief that is almost entirely devoid of an inquiry about good design and how design communicates a product’s benefits or features or the relationship of the consumer to the product. If the data set is good and the algorithm is properly trained, the artificial intelligence engine will deliver an answer that will be accurate based upon the data it examines. However, that answer will also incorporate the limitations of the data sets and any biases that were incorporated into it. What AI cannot deliver is a new design conceptualization based upon evolving trends flowing from consumer awareness, consumer behavior, buyer weariness or cultural changes. AI cannot incorporate design sensitivity to race, cultural, and gender concerns, if it is not present in the data sets. AI cannot do this because these trends, or more accurately information derived from these trends and concerns, are not, at this time, present in existing data sets.In addition to blindness as to race, culture, economic and gender issues another significant question is whether the growing use of AI reduce the decision-making power of the designer. Will the design brief devolve into mere instructions to create design based upon a narrow set of limitations, such as requirements to use defined colors, fonts and layouts? The corollary danger is that AI may reduce the designer’s ability to influence the growth of design or exploration in design. Stated simply, will AI reduce the chance for bravery in design? These are the principal challenges of the use of AI in design, in order to meet the challenge, a designer should acquire some understanding of AI.
How Does Artificial Intelligence Work and How will it Work in Design?
Artificial intelligence is the process of using mathematics to determine a best answer to a question. Such answers are reached by reviewing features and attributes that exist in a collection of information, generally called data. Stated with increased complexity, artificial intelligence is the process of using a mathematical algorithm to find the best answer to a question based upon (a) finding those features and attributes in a data set which (b) correlate to the question in a relevant manner.Artificial intelligence’s power is derived using complex mathematical analysis (algorithm) of information converted to numerical data and by this method, teaches itself to find the best answer to a question asked by the user. Using this process, a computer, will learn how to find the best answer by repeatedly applying the algorithm to the data set. More importantly, the machine may have learned, by automatically refining the algorithm, how to apply that process to answer a question and more astonishingly, unrelated questions, with startling accuracy. On occasion, the ability of these algorithmic explorations seems to border on prescience. The important terms here are question and features. A question, is query posed by the user such as, what type of person will find me attractive based on my personality characteristics or how likely is a consumer to buy product X based upon its packages design features and/or their purchase of product Y? Stated another way, artificial intelligence is merely the seeking of an answer (or best answer) to a question using an analysis of relevant features in the data set to find the best answer. A feature in data is a character or element of the information in the data which is used as a guide to measure the “relatedness” of information in the data to the answer. Currently, design data sets are quite small and primarily limited to search libraries such as the Minst fashion data set, Imagenet (14 million images) and a painting image data set on Reddit. The Wikipedia listing for available machine learning data sets contains listings of images, sounds, twitter entries, handwriting, news, speech, and music, among others. The website Kaggle, has a data set devoted solely to the classification of artwork. Eventually, someone will create data sets devoted solely to works of design with subsets devoted to various design disciplines. In the next few years, the number and types of data sets devoted to art and design will grow and with them the temptation to use them in design decision-making. At this time AI technologies are not yet able to create works of art and design that pass the Turing test, but one day they will. Designers need to understand that AI tools will become more commonplace and their use will find their way into design decision-making. The challenge and goal for designers is to understand the basic principles of AI and to use that knowledge to help their client understand the difference between design by formula, imitations of another’s work, and genuine design that shows the thoughtful analysis of a client’s needs, their customers and the best design solution that serves all those parties.Frank J. Martinez is a former artist, designer and Patent Examiner. Frank earned a BFA from Pratt Institute and was the Production Director at Landor Associates in New York prior to attending law school. After serving as a Design Patent Examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and an associate at several law firms, Frank founded The Martinez Group PLLC in 2008. Frank is admitted to practice law before the courts of the State of New York and the Federal District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York as well as the Federal District Court for the Western District of Texas (Austin).Frank is also an Adjunct Professor at The School of Visual Art where he teaches Intellectual Property Law in the MFA Designer as Author and Entrepreneur Program. Frank is also a Mentor in the SVA GroundFloor Incubator Project where he counsels Incubator participants in IP Law. Frank earned an MBA in 2017 and studied advanced management at Harvard Business School’s HBX Program and is a member of the Board of the College Art Association Committee on Intellectual Property. For the past 2 years, He has studied Python Programming, AI and Machine learning at Code Academy and Coursera.
Social Media Ethics—Opening Pandora's Box
Back in the day when I was first out of school and looking for a job, an entry level graphic designer could usually find work if they could put together pamphlets, flyers, direct mail packages, and other sales and marketing materials. Today, there's a long list of other skills piled on top.Graphic designers looking for work these days will not only bring added value, but may land the job based on their ability to write and distribute marketing copy for social media, track social media statistics, and develop social media strategies. And yes, they should also know Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, some coding and animation skills to put together a strong layout that will engage audiences.But what about the ethics involved in Social Media? Creating original content is the front facing side of things. Issues like respecting copyright and authorship is the easy part. On the other side, questions about who they are doing business with and issues of privacy and censorship run rampant. Facebook recently celebrated 15 years and their Chief Operating Officer, Sheryl Sandberg, admitted, “We did not anticipate all of the risks from connecting so many people."Then there are the studies that show that designing for apps is akin to designing for slot machines—aimed specifically for addiction. Graphic designers who end up in UX/UI and product design must wrestle with their conscience, much like those who created advertising for tobacco once did.Let's not forget about censorship and surveillance. As graphic designers navigate the world of social media in posting and creating content, they must also keep in mind they are working in a fishbowl with every engagement. In doing so, they should be mindful of not only content, but also context and how their own identity is being perceived. As they create digital footprints for their clients, what are they creating for themselves?The social media landscape is indeed a Pandora's box for anyone who engages—graphic designers, especially those just starting out, need to be especially aware of its implications while building their careers.Sources:https://www.futuristgerd.com/2019/02/is-facebook-unethical-by-design-a-case-study-on-digital-ethics-power-responsibility-and-regulation/https://www.fastcompany.com/3046149/applying-the-addictive-psychology-of-slot-machines-to-app-designhttps://www.thenation.com/article/jeffery-lane-digital-street-book-review/
Toppling Tropes and Decolonizing Design
Graphic designer and educator Ramon Tejada is sick and tired of the graphic design history narrative that has been traditionally taught design schools. He has taken on this challenge by creating an online open collaborative project, "The Decolonizing Design Reader." Here you will find articles and resources that challenge the traditional canons of design and a place where you can help create a new narrative.Tejada's work has been featured in the Walker Center magazine article, "How will we queer design education without compromise?" The article calls for a different approach to design education and asks educators to embrace a multiplicity of perspectives—to look at text as living things rather than just content.Changing the narrative is not a new topic of discussion in graphic design. Eye on Design recently wrote an article titled, "Why Role Models Matter: Celebrating Women of Color in Design." The article features advice from female graphic designers of color about how they approach design education and seek to empower and inspire students.Last June, Emily Gosling featured the thesis project, Led by Example, of Pratt Institute students Farah Kafei and Valentina Vergara, a campaign that tackles the gender imbalance in the design industry in an article title "How Can We Bring a More Inclusive History to Design Education?" The campaign featured events highlighting gender imbalance in the exhibit "Missing Pages," an installation highlighting women underrepresented in textbooks and "Against All Odds," a panel discussion led by women discussing the disparity in graphic design education.A few years ago designers Amelie Lamont and Timothy Goodman started the website People of Craft to showcase creatives of color and their designs, illustrations, lettering and more.In an industry that has long been underrepresented by diversity, we must actively seek ways to change the narrative. Projects like these and Tejada's Decolonizing Design Reader are a good place to start.
Celebrating Badass Women
Marie Curie was one of the greatest scientists to ever live. She's recognized world-wide and is an icon for powerful women. Unfortunately, often the name recognition of successful women in science ends there.Beyond Curie is an exhibit developed by creative director and design strategist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya. The exhibit celebrates 40 badass women who have been recognized for their expertise in science, engineering, and math, fields that are often biased against women.The exhibit is currently at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. It's been featured in Fast Company, Smithsonian Magazine, Glamour, and Nautilus. March for Science is offering a free set of limited-edition protest posters.You can choose from 6 to download for free in celebration of International Women's Day 2019 and march to safeguard the scientific community on April 22.
Designing Race
Isotype (International System of Typographic Picture Education) and its founders, Otto Neurath and Gerd Arntz, were among the first to create the pictograms we see all around us. Started in the 1920s, this form of visual communication was designed for a language-like consistency, allowing for quantification and comparison.
The Noun Project boasts that they have icons for everything, in fact, over a million of them—curated by a global community. Despite this multitude of icons, Noun Project member Erika Kim wrote a blog post last year about the perils in depicting race in iconography.
Icons work best when they are simple and concise while depicting things that are often complex. Kim writes that as a result, creating icons that depict race and ethnicity accurately and respectfully is a design problem waiting to be solved. Visual conciseness can quickly turn into overgeneralization and depictions of race often rely on outdated tropes and stereotypes. The results can articulate or perpetuate prejudices and bias.
Kim offers the following advice when designing icons that depict race:
- Ask designers to represent themselves—authorship can be the best way to reclaim your voice
- Seek feedback from a diverse crowd—present work to people of all ages, races, and ethnicities—look for the blind spots
- Aim for comprehensive representation and include as many variations as possible to fit many contexts
- Be aware of implied hierarchies and values and know the history of representations
- Create new or abstract interpretations
Finally, Kim urges designers to not be afraid to try. The world is full of misrepresentations because of this. Be brave and break through to create new and better representations.
Sources:
https://blog.thenounproject.com/depicting-race-in-iconography-4ee4e4269875
http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/icons-for-the-people
What's so bad about Millennials anyway?
Karmarama, a digital ad agency based in London, has taken the negative stereotypes aimed at millennials and turned them upside down by looking at the potential behind them instead.
The selfie generation is celebrated for their self-belief, binge gamers have drive, phone zombies have focus, and snow flakes have compassion. It's a campaign that takes aim at unfair stereotypes while addressing the contextual challenges in Army recruitment.This is the third campaign from Karmarama for the Army and so far the campaigns have been a huge success. They have resulted in Army job applications being at a five year high. Along with their core messaging, the campaign has utilized dynamic creative optimization to make messages more tailored and persuasive the closer candidates get to the application.Sources:https://www.commarts.com/exhibit/the-british-army-ooh-posters?utm_source=Communication+Arts+Daily&utm_campaign=5e9404cc74-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a6a0e887e3-5e9404cc74-35104113https://www.thedrum.com/news/2019/01/03/british-army-targets-snowflakes-and-me-me-me-millennials-2019-recruitment-ads