Graphic Design Activism

In this lavishly illustrated work, Zeina Maasri tells the tumultuous story of the struggle for Lebanon through the poster wars which raged on its streets. From 1975 to 1990, different factions in Lebanon's civil conflict flooded the streets with posters to mobilize their constituencies, undermine their enemies, and create public sympathy for their cause. Showcased here for the first time, the posters display a dramatic clash of cultures, ideologies and meanings. Maasri shows how the iconography of the posters changed over time, and links this to changing political identities and communities as the war progressed. She looks at the aesthetic influences of different groups, from modern Arab visual culture to as far afield as Latin America and revolutionary Iran. She urges a radical rethink of the idea and function of political posters in civil war contexts, too often dismissed as mere 'propaganda', arguing instead that they should be seen as sites of symbolic struggle, every bit as fiercely contested as the streets they adorn. Combining in-depth knowledge of the local context with fascinating insights into the semiotics of visual media, Off the Wall is a highly original contribution to our understanding of visual culture, civil conflict, and the politics of the Middle East.

Este trabalho investiga a produção imagética recente de design ativista no Brasil. Para compreender o fenômeno, são apresentados os principais fatores socioeconômicos em torno da economia da atenção, forma de geração de valor que predomina nos ambientes digitais. Em seguida, são analisadas imagens selecionadas de design ativista no Instagram, observando contexto e características. Por fim, elencamos alguns atributos do design que o aproximam da transformação social e da partilha do comum. Como resultado, observamos a importância do design gráfico no que diz respeito à sua relação com as tecnologias de informação e a construção de consciência político-identitária no país.

This work investigates the recent imagery production of social and activist design in Brazil. In order to understand the phenomenon, the main socioeconomic factors around the economy of attention are presented, a form of value generation that predominates in digital environments. Subsequently, selected images of activist design on Instagram are analyzed, observing context and characteristics. Finally, some attributes of design are listed, such as the will to social transformation and sharing the common. As a result, it is observed the importance of graphic design with regard to its relationship with information technologies and the construction of political identities in the country.

Sustainability is the wicked problem of design in the 21st century.1 —D.C. Wahl

As a design professor with a Masters Degree in Environmental Studies, I am keenly aware of the role design can and must play in moving toward a more sustainable existence on this planet. In 1992, Richard Buchanan suggested that design problems are indeterminate and wicked because design has no special subject matter of its own apart from what a designer conceives it to be. The subject matter of design is potentially universal in scope, because design thinking may be applied to any area of human experience. 2

Integral to both sustainability and the design process is a systems-based perspective. Approaching a problem from a sustainable perspective requires attention to ecological, economic, and social perspectives, while approaching a problem from a design perspective requires open-minded inquiry, analysis, and disciplined imagination. Both perspectives require, as in systems thinking, that a holistic vision be held while exploring their constituent elements.

In working with my students, I have found that opening up options for more self-direction (such as providing a variety of media options—drawing, painting, 3-D construction, and/or digital—for the production of their projects) as well as spaces for collaborative discussions in interpreting their processes (with classmates of differing socio-economic backgrounds, genders, sexuality, and dis/abilities) encourage open-minded inquiry, analysis, and imagination such that they are experiencing a type of systems thinking. In structuring foundations-level design courses in this manner, I am giving students an exciting glimpse at the possibilities a career in design might hold as well as providing them with a holistic view of their own creative processes. I believe that this holistic view has the potential to empower students to navigate evolving technologies and to tackle political, social, economic, and ecological problems we cannot possibly foretell.

This paper will present an analysis of assignments that exemplify my approach to designing projects that encourage systems-based thinking.


1. Wahl, D. C. (2006). Bionics Vs. Biomimicry: From Control Of Nature To Sustainable Participation In Nature. Paper presented at the International Conference on Design and Nature, Southampton. 289.
2. Buchanan, R. (1992). Wicked Problems In Design Thinking. Design Issues, 8(2), pp. 5-21.