Once upon a time at the Groundswell Blog, we issued an open response to Alix Rule's The Revolution Will Not be Designed. She argued that the new trends that unite design and activism are problematic and ineffective at best - harmful to social justice at worst. We're impassioned people, and believe firmly in the power of art and design to make a difference. We believe that socially conscious design is an phenomenon for activists to consider.
Decentralized, organic, and social justice oriented, it has all the
markings of a successful grassroots movement. What follows is a brief summary of our response.
Our role as designers demands of us social change solutions.
The success of social design to date has been to harness a money and goods driven industry and turn its focus towards social justice. Designers and artists are trained to be innovative, and we are trusted by others to fulfill that
role. For this reason, our solutions should get at the root of social issues, rather than address symptoms. We should move past social engagement and enact social change.
Creativity can be a social contribution, but only in so far as society is free to use the results.
While we are fortunate enough to innovate and problem solve outside the
usual activist confines, we frequently miss the point when we limit
ourselves to design thinking. This is central to Alix's argument, and where I agree with her fully. Eco-fashion won't save the world, but we can contribute tools and strategies that activists (and others) can use.
The problem is a lack of direct democracy.
So, how do we begin to build more just societies as designers and artists? Here's our three-step plan:
- Ditch the traditional clientèle.
- Work with social change agents and organizations, especially within your community.
- Ensure that the community served has direct input in each new venture.
This seems old-hat to community activists and organizers, but is news to designers. The approach is making waves in architecture particularly, where participatory design is literally starting to shape what communities look like.
The Revolution Will Not Be Commercialized
Advertising, that old voice of capital, is a tactic that social change organizations regularly employ these days. There's a danger in this kind of work - we're not always informed enough to notice when a company is greenwashing, for example. If we're going to design ads for these activists, we should be critically aware of the medium we're working in. There are many ways to do this, and I invite suggestions.
It’s about the role of design in the community and how you participate in constructing society.
Different people are affected by injustice in different (sometimes
many) ways. The notion of overlapping injustices serves as a critique
(or a condemnation, depending) of an unjust system. It’s a recognition
that social and power dynamics are asymmetrical, and that social
justice is a thornier problem than it may appear on the surface. Challenging ourselves to work with many and disparate groups helps us to use this key to achieving social justice.
Activist design can change not only the social role that designers
play, but if we involve the community in our work, we’ll have a strong
and direct impact. Our job is not to repair unjust systems, but to
disrupt them and hand out the tools with which to skirt or dismantle
them. To the drawing board!
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