Class Resources

I don't see a way to upload files onto the blog, so if you message me or comment on this post your email address I will send you a backup copy of the .pdf of the book for class.

Inspiration

Here is a group that has been inspiring me pretty heavily in the last few months. They are called the Love Police but also go by "The Undercover Anti-Terror Squad."
They basically speak with megaphones about large issues, with the overall themebeing "you are all unique and divine individuals and should remember that." Most of their videos consist of their interaction with authority figures, who have basically no idea why they are trying to shut them down.

Here is one of my favorite of their videos "The Liberation of Canary Warf (part 1)":
http://www.youtube.com/user/cveitch#p/u/53/nuYSVCW9ILs

and to their new official site:
http://www.cveitch.org/

“We live in a society and a culture and an economic model that tries to make everything look right…But by definition, when you make something no one hates, no one loves it. So I am interested in imperfections, quirkiness, insanity, unpredictability. That’s what we really pay attention to anyway. We don’t talk about planes flying; we talk about them crashing.”
Tibor Kalman

Within the design world SOCIAL DESIGN is sometimes defined as a design process that contributes to improving human well-being and livelihood. The agenda of social design is inspired by, among others, Victor Papanek’s idea that designers and creative professionals have a responsibility and are able to cause real change in the world through good design.

Never before has the need and value of design been so high. Never before has the professional status of designers been so low. By focusing on the good and changing the typical intended message, designers can demonstrate new solutions for both the 21st century and the special challenges that face our society. So our question becomes, What can you do? What will you do? How does your design make a difference?
Working as a collaborative group of makers, artists and designers, we will utilize the community as a backdrop for social impact through design. Along with a new found historical context, lectures and readings, a large scale public project will dictate the semesters work and will result in a public gathering and or “opening”.
We are only as strong as we want to be...

The spirit of a society is captured in its stories and symbols. Everywhere we look we see messages and images that reinforce our American culture. But, what are they saying to us and about us?

Today, our public stories are dominated by consumerism and bad news. It seems that fear, anger and selfishness have replaced messages of hope, happiness and shared values.

We all know there’s more to the story. Many of us are searching for a truer collective voice. One that captures the best of our culture and brings out our highest aspirations. There must be better ways than just advertising, entertainment and the news to tell our story in a thoughtful, beautiful and meaningful way.

We’ve all seen how inspiring creativity can be. It moves people to feel more deeply and act more fully. Creative workers have always been at the center of storytelling and symbol-making. Artists have challenged perspectives and continue to remind us of the most important aspects of the human condition.

We’ve also seen community building pave the way to tangible action. Organizers have gathered people together over important issues, encouraging action that makes society better.

When the two come together, the results are powerful! There are many examples, from emergency benefit concerts to thought-provoking documentaries to highly visual public art that call attention to social issues most often as a reaction to a problem.

This is the magic of design for social impact and our belief in it could change the face of our public story. Used in a proactive way not just in response to crisis we have an opportunity to reach people and promote the world we all want to see.