Do Good Design For Good

Assignment: Do Good Design For Good

Design Indaba—a better world through creativity

“Sí, se puede”—we can build a more just system

Your assignment is to select a CURRENT issue, problem, or cause that you feel passionate about and apply your skills as a graphic designer to try to make a difference or be a part of the solution to that problem, issue or cause.

You will do research, write an abstract/project proposal, and design a campaign.

Examples of current issues that you could choose from:

  • Impact of current federal policy affecting Education
  • Impact of current federal policy affecting Health Care
  • Impact of current federal policy affecting Immigration
  • Impact of current federal policy affecting the Economy
  • Impact of current federal policy affecting the Environment
  • Impact of current federal policy affecting Global Warming
  • Impact of current federal policy affecting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
  • Impact of current federal policy affecting Constitutional First Amendment Rights
  • Impact of current federal policy affecting Social Security
  • Impact of current federal policy affecting International Trade
  • Impact of current federal policy affecting World Peace

These are but a few examples of general topic areas that you could choose from. Whatever your choice is for general topic area, you must focus on a more specific aspect of that topic for your project/campaign. A good guide for doing this is a saying that originated in the 1970’s, “Think Globally, Act Locally”.

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Graphic Design majors read one of the following

and reference it in your project:

“Do Good Design” by David BermanCover of

or

Designing for Social Change:

Strategies for Community-Based Graphic Design by Andrew Shea

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Studio Art majors go to the

Murals Project page

You must reference the style of at least one major artist in your project.

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C560sR-UsAATHtq.jpg“If art cannot change the world,
it can help to change the consciousness and drives
of the women and men who would change the world.”
—Herbert Marcuse

“It’s easy to make a buck, a lot harder to make a difference.”
—Tom Brokaw

“What you do for yourself dies with you. What you do for others and the world lives on and is immortal.”
—Albert Pine

“We are not going to change the world, but we can certainly be a supporter of changing the world by creating great design… by helping to communicate the message.—and wouldn’t you rather design trying?”

Defined Demographic = Target Audience = Human Centered Design

What Role Does Design Play in a Public Health Crisis?

Screen Shot 2020-04-02 at 10.49.07 AM

Check out these Additional Resource Links:

Examples

Alec Shigeta’s “Gone is Forever” poster series. It’s purpose is to bring environmental awareness to a local level. When one normally thinks of endangered animals, one thinks of Siberian tigers or Ganges River Dolphins. While its true they are endangered, they are far removed from the reality of an everyday American. These animals depicted live within the state of California and it shows how industry and pollution deteriorate the biodiversity of our own backyards.

Kiki Doting
Kiki Doting

Kiki Doting‘s poster series for the Coastal Aquarium incorporates a unique illustrative style that references ancient cultural pictographic symbols as the design patterns on different creatures of the ocean. Their watery background is also illustrated in a uniquely abstract interpretation of the ocean—its depth and limited visibility as an environment. The message from this series is informational, inspirational and inviting—persuading visitors to come to the Aquarium and see these ancient and unusual animals in a natural habitat.

Leila Valencia—Immigration Mural video


Leila Valencia’s triptych is an example of a studio or fine art solution to this assignment. The issue she was addressing was that of Immigration. The panels in her triptych depict both the negative and positive feelings associated with this issue. Stylistically it takes inspiration from Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights. The research components of the assignments were exactly the same for her as a studio art major. The main difference was that she knew ahead of time that she would be doing a series (triptych) of paintings. She also did a video recording explaining her approach to this painting, use of symbols and the main message that the paintings are based on.

Assignment:

Step one: Write a proposal (think of this proposal as a Sharktank type of “pitch” that includes:

  • your broad topic area,
  • specific subject within that topic area,
  • target audience, project goals,
  • possible deliverables,
  • how design skills will specifically make a difference,
  • A unique aspect of your particular project
  • call to action, and
  • how you will determine the project’s success.

Step two: Create a project timeline, backward map or other plan that creates project benchmark dates

Step three: Research your tolic area and target audience

Step four: Rough versions of your design

Step Five: Finalize design deliverables

Step Six: Project Presentation

Katie Nimmo
Katie Nimmo
Katie Nimmo

Campaign

You are creating a unified group of design products—a  visual campaign. This is not simply a group of different designs, but instead a closely connected/integrated approach to delivering the message. One thing leads to another. For example a billboard may have as its primary purpose to grab attention and then to direct the audience to a website for additional information, which in turn, directs users to a smart device app allowing personal interaction on an ongoing basis. Metaphor Campaigns make use of metaphor as a technique to visually engage the audience through creative juxtapositions or unusual comparisons and are a common characteristic of many contemporary campaign approaches. This technique is closely tied to expressing your ideas in a compelling fashion.

Jo Read
Jo Read
Jo Read
Jo Read
Jo Read

More than the Facts—a Compelling Story

It will not be enough for you to simply present factual information. You must instead present a compelling story supported by factual information. A compelling story is one that motivates. It employs the Gestalt principal of Isomorphic Correspondence and is grounded in knowing your target audience to the degree that you present the information in a manner that will touch your audience members on a personal level. You must therefore, know several important things about your audience before you begin. That information will guide you in how you make an effective and motivating—compelling—visual message.

uncle-sam-we-want-you

What to Make?

The subject of your project must come from a topic that is currently in the headlines. Remember that this assignment is NOT to create 3 separate things. It is instead to create a unified and cohesive campaign or series. Read the information from this link to help your understanding of this major requirement.

After writing your abstract/proposal you will begin on the actual project. That project will be up to you. You must decide what kind of design applications and overall design approach would be most appropriate in meeting the needs of your issue/topic and the target audience that would be most affected by your efforts.

Target Audience:

Look at three specific areas to aid you in determining what products of design you should create:

  1. The characteristics of your target audience
    • Identify a specific audience for your campaign. This is your target audience (demographic) using at least 4 “defining” characteristics. Ask yourself, who is your campaign specifically trying to reach, or currently not reaching? Then, pick characteristics which will influence what you do or not do design-wise to effectively reach them. These are characteristics which will help you make decisions about color, type, composition, applications, wording, image treatment, style, etc. Examples of some of these defining characteristics are:
      • lifestyle choices (you must use this characteristic)
      • age range (ex. 30-50 years old)
      • gender
      • education (ex. college degree)
      • geographical region (ex. northern Cali)
      • urban/rural
      • Your goal is to “know” this target group as you would your group of best friends. If you were to give the members of the target audience a birthday gift you would know what choices would be exactly perfect for them, much like you would when giving a gift to your best friend. Feel it
      • 6 Steps to Define Your Audience—how to define your target audience
  2. Your findings, research, the facts about the problem/topic
    • Know your topic. Specifically identify a problem related to this general topic. Find out through research more than what you initially were aware of as common knowledge. Become an expert on the subject.
  3. The “environment” or venue where your target audience most likely or generally can be expected to be found.
    • specific locations (examples of such characteristics include, but are not limited to: school, sports/music events, clinics/hospitals/doctor’s office, job/occupation, town, retail store/venue, etc.)

Incentivize your message

In addition to making your message a compelling one you must also “incentivize” or this for your target audience. Unfortunately, human nature has proven to us that people simply will not do anything, let alone the “right” thing, unless personally motivated in some way. They must see how they will personally benefit or gain from doing what you want them to do. You must therefore “connect the dots” for them. Empower them. Spell this out explicitly, meaning, you must indicate what or how they will be rewarded. Simply telling them that the result will be a better community is not enough.

FINAL PRESENTATION

Final campaign requirements: (you must have a minimum of the following)

  • Formal Presentation
  •  Organization—
    • Document your entire process. This should include thumbnail sketches, rough comps, possible slogan options, etc. in a manner that you can show as a part of your final presentation.
      • For in-person presentations you should always organize your work by the use of a Process Booklet
      • For on-line presentations using Skype, FaceTime, Zoom, Web Ex, etc. you will need some other form of documentation of process development (ex.: chart, Pinterest or Designspiration, Website, Interactive PDF, Keynote, Powerpoint, Padlet, diagram, outline, progress backward map, etc.) that you can share with your client/audience.
    • In either case, all campaign presentations should always cover the development of the following:
      • A brief introduction that clarifies your understanding of the company, the product line, and the target audience
      • Project Concept
      • A minimum of 3 design applications/deliverables
        • (you might have more than 3)
      • Tagline or slogan
      • For this assignment your presentation needs to also include the following:
        • Thumbnails
        • Research
        • Development sketches
        • Written stages—tagline/slogans, headlines
        • Color applications/reasons
        • Typography specs/choices
    • Apply Basic Branding and Visual Identity Principles to all.

Past Student Examples:

Let’s make your project a reality!

What is Crowdsourcing?

NCUR

After you have written your abstract and before you submit it to NCUR, you first must send it to Pacific’s director of undergraduate research, Professor Zach Stahlschmidt. His contact info is:

Zach Stahlschmidt
Associate Professor in Biological Sciences
Director of Undergraduate Research
3601 Pacific Avenue
Stockton, CA 95211

209.946.3021
ugr@pacific.edu

My contact information:

S. Brett DeBoer
Associate Professor, Graphic Design
AMPD Department
University of the Pacific
3601 Pacific Avenue
Stockton, CA 95211

209.762.7376
bdeboer@pacific.edu

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