Design For Social Change
SMFA at Tufts University, Summer 2020 — As designers, it is our job to create and disseminate engaging and beautiful messages and materials in service of promoting an idea or product. In this course, students explored design as a catalyst for social change. Students’ work focused on marrying design to activism and examining established methodologies for fostering a successful call to action.
Student Work
D.C. Wants In by Jamie Kallestead (he/him)
Design Challenge: Draw attention to the D.C. statehood movement, outside of Washington, D.C.
Solution: I created and branded D.C. Wants In, a social media campaign for Twitter.
Blind Eye by Raji (she/her)
Design Challenge: Explain the threat that face surveillance poses to our civil liberties.
Solution: I created Blind Eye, an illustrated zine that defines face surveillance, explains why it's a problem, shows examples from real life, and offers readers ways to take action. Illustrations capture the essence of this complex subject matter.
Human Identity Project by Zoe Cohen (she/her)
Design Challenge: Educate cis-gender people on the marginalization of non-cis conforming populations.
Solution: As part of the Human Identity Project (HIP), I created an informational survey about gender diversity. Using the language of surveys, such as drop-downs and multiple choice, the survey collects information about personal gender experiences and tests one’s knowledge about a variety of non-cis gender identities. Take it to learn more!
Immigrants are human. by Sarah Goldstein (she/her)
Design Challenge: Bring focus back to the mistreatment of detained migrants at the southern border and humanize them.
Solution: I created a series of posters depicting eyes of detained immigrants and three aspects of the detainee experience: crossing the desert, family separation, and COVID-19 in detention facilities. These posters have been distributed and displayed in public areas in San Diego, CA, to renew attention to the border crisis, especially among politically aware individuals. The posters also include a QR code that leads to a website providing resources and further information (petitions, interviews, articles, etc.) about each of the three facets. Check out the website to learn more.
Runoff by Caroline Fallon (she/her)
Design Challenge: Engage and inspire a younger generation to prevent runoff pollution in the future.
Solution: I created a kid-friendly infographic poster for an education space (classroom or text book) to communicate the multi-faceted environmental issue of runoff.