Design for Social Justice

Tonight I’m participating in a roundtable discussion on design and social justice hosted by the AIGA student group at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. We’ll be talking about how to use design to bring about change in your community. And you’ll be able to buy posters to benefit Nebraska Appleseed. See you there!

Social Justice Roundtable
August 24, 2018 @ 6 PM
Heritage Room
University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Graphic design can make you smile. Make you mad. Make you change your behavior. It illuminates and can silence all irrelevant noise with magnificent clarity by perfectly capturing the core of an idea. It’s an obvious tool for social change as seen in the history of successful movements for justice. And it will continue to be so.

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On Loyalty

When it comes to working with other people in almost any capacity, loyalty is important. But it is not the end all be all. I’d say it’s not even in the top 10 of skills I value in collaborators and clients. If you’re sticking with me purely out of a sense of loyalty even though I’m fucking up, not pulling my weight, and behaving badly, I’d prefer you simply tell me straight I’m fucking up, not pulling my weight, behaving badly, and if I don’t clean up my act you’re moving on. Honesty, critique, being direct, speaking up, wanting for everyone to do his or her best, that’s what I value. Those are things I value more than loyalty. I don’t care who you are, a creative director or the President of the United States, if you value loyalty above all else, you will eventually be surrounded by yes-men and weak sycophants. And that’s no way to run a design firm. Or the country.

That new bass player definitely upped their weird factor

The name of the band isn’t important. What is important is their lineup. A band who toured around the midwest in the early 2000s with two guitarists, bass player, and drummer. Their music was pretty technical, a little catchy, sort of strange at times. Somewhat fast, poppy, mathy.

The first time I saw them their stage present was mostly normal with sudden bursts of energy and excitement. At this time the bass player was a larger kid. Looked less hip than the others. He had a stage presence that was more measured and reserved. After their show they stayed at my apartment, which was a normal experience. Being from Brooklyn, the band had different stories to tell but we could still relate to each other. They were good guys. They had lame jobs, a friendly demeanor, and were very grateful for being able to stay with me. 

The next time I saw them they were quite different. As a band, they had had some success. In their particular music scene their latest album was popular. And when they toured on that album their stage presence was quite different. Jittery, bouncy, crazy. Stops and starts. Jumps and jerks. In particular, their new bass player was very hip and looked the part. He made very strange faces while playing. He lurched back and forth, jumped this way and that, and held his bass in random, weird positions. And it all fit. The look, the sound, the antics. Now they were an entire package. 

I talked to them a bit after the show. Still very nice guys but they had a different vibe. They mentioned how they had buttoned up everything from the previous time they toured through town. Better lineup, better presence, better sound. Which I could totally see. It was so obvious. Their brand had evolved and it now all made sense. 

Although, I’d rather have the old bass player around to grab breakfast with. This new guy, I liked his art, but that’s where it ended. This time, they didn’t stay at my apartment. It just didn’t fit the brand.

This has been the 1st account of the times in my life when I was hit with the importance of branding in the physical world. There will be more to come I’m sure.

What are you hiding behind?

Your status? Your career? Your smarts? Your social media profiles? Your sharp wit? Your good looks? You introverted ability to be completely fine being by yourself?

More Potential Topics

  1. Punk rock bands I want to be in until my fingers bleed: IDLES

  2. How I cook: slowly, loudly, full of flavor

  3. When bad words are limiting

  4. Personal Velocity

  5. Branding Shit (on the Trump brand, AKA polishing a turd)

  6. Thinking about death on the daily

  7. The Internet could never be bad, right?

  8. Chasing the long-form

  9. Being better at headlines than the full story

  10. Must love tacos

  11. Where/when design ends

  12. 1979

  13. The magical quality of trees

  14. The Curmudgeon

  15. Leisure Man

  16. Time Travel

  17. That one time

  18. I want to talk about my bias

America Today

When you think about America today, what is a belief that you have to defend? 

That it’s liberty and justice, FOR ALL. America doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t mean that. If we’re not going to stand up for that, than we need to unchisel it from all our monuments and erase it from the pages of all our books. It’s so baseline. And yet in today’s America that needs to be defended like never before. Black, brown, immigrants, kids, people with pre-existing conditions, disabled folks, poor people, homeless people, the unemployed, the uneducated, the forgotten, and on and on and on. If we can’t stand behind liberty and justice for all than nothing else matters.