Graduate Thesis by Maria Asare

DIS / RUPT A Graduate Thesis by Maria Asare-Boadi

DIS/RUPT Creating Experiences for Social Advocacy by Engaging Communities in Disruptive Design

For my parents

DIS/RUPT Creating Experiences for Social Advocacy by Engaging Communities in Disruptive Design by Maria Teresa Asare-Boadi A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, Communications Design School of Art and Design Pratt Institute May 2013

Received and approved:

Jean Brennan, Thesis Advisor

Date

Jeff Bellantoni, Chairperson

Date

Table of Contents 5 13

INTRODUCTION DEFINING DESIGN AS ACTIVISM Historical and Cross-Cultural Context

THE DESIGNER AS AN AGENT OF SOCIAL CHANGE Transformation Design Engaging Communities Disruptive Design

CASE STUDIES The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) The Laundromat Project Word Up Books

CONCLUSION

GLOSSARY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Introduction A renowned social and environmental designer and activist, Victor Papanek once said that “all design must fill a human need.” In his book, Design for The Real World, he adds, “The planning and patterning of any act towards a desired, foreseeable end constitutes a design process. Any attempt to separate design to make it a thing by itself works counter to the inherent value of design as the primary underlying matrix of life.” I tend to agree with this powerful statement, in that design—in its most basic and pure definition—is the harmonious marriage of form and function. Design should be executed with the intention of solving a human problem. Extending this notion, I will even go so far as to say that design has the capacity to generate platforms for ideas, dialogue and services, although these outcomes aren’t always tangible, or quantifiable, they do influence action and social behavior.

Introduction

The school of thought that believes design is more than creating physical objects is not new, nor is it revolutionary. In fact, the conceptual framework of design thinking has been around for years. It gained momentum around 2006, when businesses and companies alike were beginning to learn that the cyclical process of thinking like a designer was universally transferable and malleable enough that it could be applied to any profession. Design thinking has been successfully adopted by global corporations as a tool for thinking creatively and innovating in order to expand and increase profits. On the opposite side of the spectrum, design thinking is beginning to be adopted by government and organizations in the public sector to tackle complex, big-picture problems, transform performance, inspire social innovations and better inform the public audience about their global missions. This particular application of design thinking has the power to truly impact social change and the way that innovations are made in the social sector. More recently weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve observed the trend of philanthropic organizations in the social sector utilizing technology, especially social media, as a vehicle for communicating to the public, and to further awareness campaigns. In the ever-connected society we live in, we have incredibly powerful tools for activism readily available at our disposal, through which we can quickly disseminate information to the masses. A perfect example of such a tool is the viral video. Perhaps the most popular

example of a social activist campaign video that went viral, is the recent Kony 2012 short film created by Invisible Children to promote their movement to make infamous, and eventually capture and arrest Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony. In the span of a few weeks, the video garnered over 100 million views over the Internet and across social media. This was largely due to the videoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high quality production, which included elegant 3-d effects, and an incredibly well illustrated sentimental story. The video succeeded in amassing general awareness for the cause. Unfortunately, despite how well designed this viral campaign was, the aesthetic look of the video simply wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough to sustain interest in the message and encourage long-term social engagement. In observing Kony 2012 and many other campaigns that follow the same social media viral video strategy, it becomes apparent that organizations in the social sector are relying more and more on the power of technology to drive campaigns and create awareness. Technology has made it ever so convenient to have access to things near and far. Designers benefit greatly from social media as it allows us to reach vast audiences almost instantaneously, a privilege that we did not have before. Social media and digital technology have a profound impact on the way that we connect to the world and to others, but it could be argued that our generation is experiencing the world second hand.

While I recognize the efficiency of using social media in order to reach large audiences, nothing can replace the first hand experience of engaging in something that is tactile and participatory. The purpose of this thesis is not to argue for or against the use of social media and technology, or its role in design and the way we shape experiences—the aim is to simply provide a shift in perspective, and highlight the value of a more human centered approach to designing tactile experiences that engage people with the built and natural environment.

“ learning about the

world without experiencing it up close, right here, right now, in all its messy, majestic, riotous detail.”

In an article for the New York Times, author Diane Ackerman discusses the often talked about concept of sensory overload, which refers to the condition in which the senses become over stimulated and strained, making it difficult to focus on a particular task. This term is often brought up in context of technology and media, and how being inundated with visual stimuli is deterring us from making meaningful and lasting connections with the things we observe and experience in nature. Ackerman, however, takes this point even further by arguing that while we may be living in an age of sensory overload, we are at the same time living in sensory poverty, which she defines as “learning about the world without experiencing it up close, right here, right now, in all its messy, majestic, riotous detail.”

Introduction

This thesis presents the hypothesis that by physically engaging users in design that is tactile, participatory and generative, designers can help instill a vested sense of ownership that engages and empowers communities. I will explore this hypothesis by looking at ways in which designers can create authentic experiences for social advocacy utilizing the power of design thinking, and human-centered participatory design. I will take a close look at how this design approach and methodology can be used to design experiences that sustain the interest of the public, maintain relevancy, and actually engage communities in a participatory manner that fosters ownership and engagement. I will observe case studies of successful displays of social advocacy and activism from both a historical and cross-cultural perspective to define the context of design advocacy. I will also highlight current organizations and methodologies that use design as a tool for generating platforms for ideas, dialogues and services that allow for ownership and sustained community engagement.

Defining Design as Activism When we think of activism, we think of those historically iconic scenes from the 60s and 70s in which groups of people would hold strikes and conduct marches as a display of dissent against the status quo, as a call for social change. Activism, in the traditional sense, refers to action that is taken as a means to bring forth change on the behalf of a wronged, excluded or neglected group. In its essence, activism is driven by the occurrence of a perceived social problem that needs to be righted. If we were to ascribe a particular field of study to the notion of activism, we would immediately think of something along the line of political science, government or law. The very last field that comes to mind is often design. That is because we are less familiar with the notion of design, both in its process and in its physical manifestation, as a vehicle for activism, or as a tool for creating social change. In the same way that strikes and marches have the power to make a statement, challenge the status quo and call for social change, design can be used as a tool to address social, political, economic and environmental issues.

Defining Design as Activism

What differentiates design activism, from the traditional and more widely recognized practice of design, is that commercial design is not deliberately intended to serve excluded, neglected, or disadvantaged groups. The target audience for this kind of design has in the past been the private consumer with access and the means to pay for those services. This observation is not meant to say that this traditional, widely accepted, construct is wrong, but rather to point out that there is value in shifting the focus to target underserved audiences. In recent years there’s been a steady rise in interest in social design that is intended to serve the greater public. As more knowledge is gathered, the more terms are coined, and the more diluted the pedagogy of design activism becomes. As a result, there is a general misunderstanding and confusion about what exactly constitutes design activism, or design for social change. In her book “Building Change: Architecture, Politics and Cultural Agency” architect Lisa Findley states that “projects that explicitly take on the issues of cultural and political power, that are an overt reassertion of cultural agency and dignity, that seek to symbolically represent a formerly invisible people, or that have overt agendas for social change are, by their very definition, unique in almost every way.” In its ambitious nature, as it seeks to tackle complex social issues, design activism is often hard to define.

In her submission to the Journal of Architecture Education, Ann Thorpe, a teaching fellow at the Barlett School of Architecture at University College in London, describes five types of activism work as well as examples of their design equivalent as an attempt to begin to define the context for design activism. These five categories are; organizing, services, advocacy, mobilization and solidarity. Organizing, focuses on working with communities and leading them in an effort to bring about change or awareness for a social issue, the design equivalent of which would be co-design, and other participatory types of design where a designer immerses himself in the community he is serving. Services focuses on providing facilities, training and other professional services to a particular group, like when a designer offers humanitarian design services, often pro bono. Habitat for Humanity is a good example of services, within the context of design activism. Advocacy, according to Thorpe, focuses specifically on design works done on the behalf of an underserved, or wronged, group. This can occur both directly and indirectly, and the target audience isn’t always directly involved in the process, like sustainable design that is eco friendly. In this example, the design is carried out to benefit the environment as a whole. Mobilization focuses on physically bringing together large numbers of people to participate in one collective group act.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Projects that explicitly take on the issues of cultural and political

power, that are an overt reassertion of cultural agency and dignity, that seek to symbolically represent a formerly invisible people, or that have overt agendas for social change are, by their very definition, unique in almost every way.â&#x20AC;?

When designers get involved in this type of activism, they can follow what is traditionally done as a form of activism, i.e. protests, picketing, boycotting, sit-ins, or take a softer approach in the form of getting people to sign a petition, lobby to get a form of legislature changed, writing letters to a local office etc. The fifth category of activism is solidarity, which focuses on creating platforms for discourse and idea sharing, as a way to bring about new perspectives on a social issue. This usually takes place in a more academic setting, which is often exclusive to a limited demographic (i.e. university lectures on social design and activism.) However, designers can choose a variety of

creative ways in which to begin a dialogue about social issues, whether it be a pubic film screening, a performing art piece, an installation, an exhibit, or even a fine art piece. Another good way to understand the context of design activism is to look at case studies throughout time and across space. It is worth delving into a brief historical and cross cultural examination of early examples of activism exemplified through design movements, because it helps to position designers more consciously as agents for social change, and it provides us with examples of a variety of conceptual tools for taking action.

Defining Design as Activism

Historical and Cross-Cultural Context

Child labor in a textile mill, 19th c.

The late 19th century gave way to the British Arts and Crafts Movement, which was intent on contributing to positive social change through the improved design of artifacts, textiles, wallpapers and buildings. Led by English textile designer William Morris, this movement encouraged artists to get out of their academics and immerse themselves in simple handcrafted designs that combined simplicity and utility. The target audience for this movement were the emerging artists and crafters of the time, as well as art academies. Unfortunately, at the time, the main benefactors of this movement were mainly the bourgeois who could afford to purchase the things that were being produced. Beyond advocating for new standards of design, the British Arts and & Crafts movement had a significant social impact. Proponents of the movement advocated for better working conditions in factory production, and they encouraged the production of artifacts that were functional, useful and beautiful as a way to improve everyday life and encourage positive social change. This early design movement also laid the foundations for various movements to follow in Europe, including Art Nouveau, the Vienna Movement Jugendstil and Werkbund, the latter of which held very strong socialist ideologies.

Moving to early 20th Century Germany, the rise of socialist ideologies allowed the Werkbund Movement to gain popularity with artists, designers and architects. This movement was focused on achieving good design with utilitarian production methods that maximized quality while retaining affordability. Werkbund gave way to many sub-movements with the same strong socially conscious imperative. Prominent architects such as Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer, and Le Corbusier who were proponents for the movement, led efforts to create several affordable housing projects for low-wage earners in Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Dessau and Berlin. The idea of affordable housing is not original to the Werkbund movement, however the application of design and architecture as a means to improve the quality of life for the poor was a very radical and forward thinking idea. Here, we began to see designers make the connection between the aesthetic and decorative qualities of design and its practical ideas, and the act of advocating for a social cause. Among the most famous examples of design advocacy is the Bauhaus Movement, which came in tandem with Werkbund. A new educational structure providing artistic advisory to industry professionals, Bauhaus was the foundation for Modernism and Functionalism. The leaders of the Bauhaus Movement were very strong advocates for affordable design and architecture for the working middle classes. One of the movement’s earlier

leaders Hannes Meyer, believed that “design can elevate the welfare of the people and that it can harmonize the requirements of the individual with those of the community.” Bauhaus reached its peek in Europe in 1933, around the time when many of the Bauhaus leaders migrated to the U.S. and other countries following World War II. However, the movement remains throughout history as a strong example of design being used as a positive social force through which to bring about advocacy and social justice. Looking at these three prominent examples of socially motivated design movements, I found that the pattern of activism carried out through design works in a series of four stages. The first is the unveiling framing of a specific social issue within the context of design, and the time period. The second is to make a claim, or a declaration, for change made on the behalf of, or to serve, some kind of underserved audience who is in need. Throughout history, we can observe this illustrated as manifestos. The third stage is the physical intervention, best illustrated by the Bauhaus Movement and their affordable housing projects. This step is where the design comes in, and that’s what people connect the most to, because this is the most tangible and quantifiable product of social design. The last stage, which I believe is the most important aspect of design activism, is the generative portion of a movement, in which the design has been completed and left up to the target audience

Defining Design as Activism

to engage with and learn from, in the hopes that they will eventually be able to advocate for themselves. This stage is the hardest to quantify, because once a design outcome is produced, the designer has to step back and hope that a user will behave a certain way. What rather happens is that the designer learns from the behavior of people after the fact, and takes those lessons into future designs. Looking at history and culture as a point of departure helps to ground the meaning of what design activism and social design mean. What we find, is that the meaning itself hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t changed much, it is the context that evolves and become more layered and complex. A key aspect to take away from the movements discussed is the importance of understanding an audience. Identifying with the intended audience is crucial in understanding how to frame the problem, and what the call to action should be. I would argue that the truest way for the designer to understand the target audience is to be immersed in that community and learn from first hand observation. It is not only important to understand and frame the problem from the point of view of the user. Working in the physical space, alongside the community, is equally important in aiming at a form that can truly give voice to members of that community.

The Designer as an Agent of Social Change Design is malleable. The concept of social design can be adapted to the needs of people living in different socio-cultural contexts. A designerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s task is to come up with creative solutions to human problems. More specifically, the graphic designerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s charge is to try and meet the communication needs of different people in various sectors of society. Design is not simply concerned with the creation of physical products. Design can also create platforms for innovations, ideas and dialogue. Once those intellectual and creative platforms are created, a designer may use his skills and talents to give these abstract concepts visual form. Today, designers have a much more clearly defined socio-professional profile, and they have developed greater awareness of their role and responsibility in societyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;beyond the aesthetics of a message, but also considering its aims, content and impact. As we observe the realm of design expanding rapidly into new areas, the social and humanitarian benefits of design have paved the way towards a new kind of practice that is shaped around socially responsible behavior, and designers today play an important role as agents of change.

The Designer as an Agent of Social Change

Transformation Design Looking at the role of advocacy in the context of social design, and vice versa, I am paying particular attention to social principles and concepts of design thinking as methodologies. For the purpose of this thesis, I’ve elected to discuss design advocacy through the lens of Transformation design, a term first coined by the U.K. Design council in 2004.

“ What are the

boundaries of dsign?... What are the boundaries of problems?” Charles Eames

The concept of transformation design seeks to apply design in new contexts to transform the way in which the public interacts with ideas, systems and services. It uses the design process as a means to enable a wide range of disciplines and stakeholders to collaborate. There are those who say that transformation design in not a real application of design because its outputs aren’t always tangible. However, those who are in favor of transformation design view the design process, and the skills inherent in designing, as a transferable point of view that can be applied to tackle complex social issues. An important aspect of transformation design is placing the user at the heart of the solution. This not only requires empathy on the part of the designer, but it also means that emotional considerations are just as useful, and valid, as practical ones. The Design Council is a U.K. based government organization created in 1944. Founded by a wartime government, it was initially named the

Council of Industrial Design, and its objective was “to promote by all practicable means the improvement of design in the products of British Industry.” RED, a subsidiary group within the Design Council, comprised of a small interdisciplinary group of design thinkers, innovators, and experts that work on developing innovative thinking practices for tackling social and economic problems through design innovation. RED expresses the following view on the value of human centered design “Good design creates products, services, spaces, interactions and experiences that not only satisfy a function or solve a problem, but that are also desirable, inspirational, compelling and delightful.” There are three main principles highlighted by RED on how to practice human centered design, which by definition, is an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach to designing and creative problem solving. First, a designer must begin by looking at a problem from the point of view of the user. Understanding that a design problem stems from the user’s needs not being met, it is crucial to first and foremost identify what those needs are. An interesting point that is made in the paper is that there is a difference between a user and a customer. A user-centered approach demands significant rethinking of a service in order to place the user at the center, which places value on emotional considerations as much as on practical ones. This exercise requires being able to look at a problem from a perspective that may be different from that of

the designer, business owner, or service provider. After observing the needs of the user, the second thing a designer must do is make those observations (of problems and ideas) visible through data visualization. Creating frameworks to make visual sense of complex information is something that creates a common platform for discussion among designers and communities. The third and last principle is one that comes up often in conversations and discussions about design thinking, which is rapid prototyping and thinking through making to quickly test several ideas. By letting go of the fear of failing, and by testing out several approaches and learning from the different outcomes, designers are able to hone in on the most appropriate solution for users. The Design Council also defines six aspects, pertaining specifically to transformation design, that define the practice in greater detail. The first is common to many design and business practices, which is defining the brief. Defining the brief is important for understanding the scope of the issue that is being tackled. The second is collaboration between disciplines. The interdisciplinary aspect of collaboration and problem solving is one of transformation design’s unique strengths, in that it allows designers and professionals to mediate diverse points of view throughout the process of brainstorming and problem solving. The third aspect is employing participatory design techniques, which means that ideas are recognized fro all memebers who are involved in the project i.e.

The Designer as an Agent of Social Change

everyone has a say. The opinions coming from the non-designer are just as valid and important and those coming from the designers themselves, with the understanding that varied points of views and working alongside a community, allows for a greater understanding of the problem. The fourth aspect of transformation design is building capacity and not dependency. Transformation design acknowledges the fact that “design is never done” because the learning doesn’t stop once the product is out on the market. There is always more room for observation and improvement. As well as the fact that communities change and their needs change with them constantly. Therefore, when designing, the challenge is to create something that will be able to adapt to the changing needs of its users. The fifth aspect is designing beyond traditional solutions. This aspect is inherent to transformation design, since it seeks to blend traditional design practices with human centered and socially aware ones. Transformation design is about applying design skills in non-traditional environments, and therefore often results in innovative design outcomes that add a fresh perspective

to a traditional way of looking at a problem. The sixth and final aspect of transformation design is creating fundamental change. Transformation design projects aim to fundamentally transform and trigger social change by designing an experience from a human centered perspective that will hopefully bring awareness, inform human behavior and allow for participation and dialogue. In essence, transformation design puts greater emphasis on shaping human behavior, than it does on creating physical form. This approach definitely challenges the traditional view that design exists mainly for the purpose of creating aesthetically pleasing physical products, but I don’t believe these two views are mutually exclusive. In his book Change by Design, CEO and president of IDEO, Tim Brown touches upon the evolution from the traditional view of design to the concept of transformation design. He discusses how design has evolved from being driven by the creation of products, to being driven by the analysis of the relationship between people and products, whereas today design is moving towards being driven by the relationship between people and people.

The Designer as an Agent of Social Change

Engaging Communities

1. Immerse yourself 2. Build trust 3. Promise only what you can deliver 4. Prioritize process 5. Confront controversy 6. Identify the community’s strengths 7. Utilize local resources

Communities are the heart of any social design. The majority of research I’ve come across through the process of developing this thesis discusses the community’s pivotal role in the success of a social design endeavor. Communities are not only essential to the development of a social endeavor that creates advocacy; they are key to its longevity thereafter. In his book “Design for Social Change” Andrew Shea provides a guide for designers, professionals and educators with a set of resource tools to use in their practice. Shea, is a designer with a distinct understanding of the impact that design can have in contributing to positive social change in specific communities. In his book, Shea presents proven strategies, along with case studies, for working effectively with community organizations. These strategies are meant to help frame the design challenge and create a checklist that helps to keep social projects on track and come to fruition.

8. Design with the community’s voice 9. Give communities ownership 10. Sustained engagement Ten proven strategies for working effectively with communities according to Andrew Shea

For the sake of this thesis I will elaborate on four of these strategies that I think are important for designers to understand and keep in mind as they embark on a social advocacy endeavor. First and foremost, a designer has to build a trusting partnership with any community that he intends on serving and working with. Immersion, as explained by Shea refers to any number of ways in which a designer spends time with the community. This can range from taking a tour through an unfamiliar neighborhood, paying regular visits to a community and interacting with its leaders, to conducting ethnographic research for observation and working side by side with members of the community. It’s important to understand that as a designers coming into a community we must be prepared to give up a certain amount of creative control and allow our ideas and our outcomes to be affected by the point of views and ideas of community members. It’s a fine balance between a designer’s personal goals and what he hopes to get out of a social design experience and what is actually best for the community, or rather how the community will react to what you propose. The Center for Urban Pedagogy, is a good example of designers immersing themselves into a community and working with that community to come up with a visual explanation to a complex problem, equipping people with knowledge as means to empower them to take steps towards improving their lives.

Another one of Shea’s strategies is designing with the community’s voice. The most ideal partnership between a designer and community members is when the design connects to the community’s style and doesn’t just reflect the designer’s personal aesthetic. Having this flexibility and ability to adapt, is a skill that is inherent to most designers and is invaluable in the practice of social design and design advocacy. Shea states that a designer’s final output should mirror the voice and style of the community rather than our own to ensure that it speaks to community members and portrays the community in a convincing and authentic way. Striving for a certain level of authenticity is something that will resonate with the communities designers work with, and that’s going to engage them. This idea of engaging communities through collaboration in social design is of pivotal importance, as community engagement breeds community ownership, which is another one of Shea’s strategies for social design. Engaged communities feel empowered by having ownership over a specific design tool or methodology that is presented by the designer. As designers, our responsibility is to involve community members from the beginning, and continuously throughout the design process, so that there is a shared and simultaneous exchange of education, and so that both parties become invested in the design process and can take pride in it. Shea’s final strategy for social design is sustained engagement.

This speaks to what happens after the designer steps out of the picture. It is hard to predict how a community will react and interact with the design, but this aspect is most invaluable. I personally am the most interested in this strategy, as I find it the most difficult, and the hardest to anticipate. Even after the design is complete, creating metrics to measure the impact of the design engagement is equally challenging. Disruptive Design A subcategory within the larger umbrella of transformation design is disruptive design. A term coined by designer and writer Andrew Shea in an article discussing behavior change in the Design Observer. This article, titled “The Value of Design Disruptions”, followed a study conducted by research psychologists Wendy Wood and David Neal. In this study Wood and Neal found that public awareness campaigns generally work when they are promoting actions that we perform infrequently, such as donating blood, giving money to the poor etc. However, when we target these campaigns at every day habitual actions like smoking and eating, research finds that they aren’t as effective. This is because our behavior is integrated with, and shaped by our environment. Therefore, the best way to influence behavior change is to “disrupt the environment” so as to ” alter the action sequence and disrupt the learned body sequence that’s driving the behavior.”

If we take this model into consideration and apply it in the context of design, we understand that as designers we have the ability to introduce elements into a physical built environment that serve as disruptions, and consequently act as triggers for behavioral change. A very simple example of this, highlighted by the Design Observer, is an instance in which a realistic image of a small black fly was etched inside urinals in a men’s public restroom in order to give men something to aim at while they used the urinals. As comical as this example might seem, it was a very simple, clever and effective use of design in response to a behavioral problem (the fact that men were hurrying and not aiming, making the restrooms unsanitary).

Image of small fly etched inside urinal

The Designer as an Agent of Social Change

Another example of disruptive design is an interactive public art project by designer Candy Chang titled “Before I die.” In this project, which has been replicated by others in various other urban environments, Chang claims an abandoned or dilapidated house and uses it as a canvas to display the statement “Before I die…” Below the statement, Chang places several blanks where passerby’s and members of the community are able to participate and respond by filling out what they would like to accomplish before they died. Although this example is more complex, and operates on a much larger scale than the one mentioned before, it still illustrates how designers can utilize the concept of disruptive design to cause a change in the way people and communities behave, and interact with the physical built environment. Chang truly exemplifies the role of the designer as an agent for social change that is above all generative and participatory. Her work is a beautiful illustration of the power that design can have to not only communicate a message to the public, but to shape and influence the way that people behave and interact with the built environment as well as with each other. Chang’s work seeks to connect communities and challenges members to begin a conversation about varying topics. Another project by Chang is a collection of flash cards that helped to demystify the laws behind tenant’s rights in New York City.

Dilapidated abandoned house in New Orleans

The Designer as an Agent of Social Change

Chang collaborated with a non-profit organization called Tenants & Neighbors to design a boxed set of 30 flash cards on tenantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rights. The cards translate the New York stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official Tenants Rights Guide into a fun and friendly format that covers everything from security deposits and subletting, to painting, and privacy. This project is interdisciplinary, human centered and tactile in the way that it engages people and empowers them with the knowledge to advocate for their rights as tenants.

The Designer as an Agent of Social Change

A third notable project by Chang is a Community Chalkboard project that she created in collaboration with Global Studio, for a community group in Johannesburg, South Africa. Chang, along with international students, worked with community members from the township of Diepsloot to learn, exchange knowledge, and help facilitate the observed needs of the community. After an incident in which a little girl was lost for three days before her safe return to the township, a local resident saw how hard it was to spread the word, and was inspired to begin a non-profit to improve local communication within the township. Inspired by a community chalkboard in Liberia by Alfred Sirleaf, Chang and her team installed a customized, site-specific community chalkboard to give residents a free and accessible platform to publicize events, post jobs, ask questions, form coalitions and self organize on a daily basis without dependency on electricity. Transformation design is used to make every day commentaries about social issues. As viewers experience and participate in social design, they are also defining its meaning and cultural significance in that moment. As designers, thinkers, and visual communicators we are constantly challenged to design experiences that transcend the first moments of encounter.

Case Studies Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had the opportunity to observe first hand, three local organizations based in New York City that I think are great examples of socially responsible community organizations that use transformation design as a collaborative and interdisciplinary way to create awareness, advocacy and empower communities.

Case Studies

The Center For Urban Pedagogy The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) is a nonprofit organization that uses design and art to improve civic engagement. CUPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s various projects work to demystify the urban policy and planning issues that impact local communities, so that more members of those communities can participate in shaping them. CUP believes that increasing understanding of how complex social systems work is the first step to increasing community participation. CUP runs a series of collaborative projects and workshops where artists, designers, community based advocates and policymakers come together to break down complex social issues into simple, accessible, visual explanations. The tools that are created by CUP are used by organizers and educators throughout New York City to help people better advocate for their own community needs. CUP focuses specifically on youth education, as well as community education to improve public engagement through civic education. Through the youth education program, students work with teaching artists to investigate some aspect of how the city works, and create final products that educate others about what they have learned. The community education programs work to bring together designers and advocates to produce tools, workshops and publications that explain complex policies or processes for specific audiences.

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend one of CUP’s events. It was an Urban Exploration Series called Phunky Fresh, a part of their youth education program. In this Urban Exploration Cup collaborated with a group of College Prep High school students for an entire summer. The question they sought to answer was, “Who decides where supermarkets get placed in the Bronx?” This question arose from the very real issue of the lack of access to grocery stores with fresh produce in the Bronx. Chaperoned by CUP staff members, this group of high school students set out to explore and answer this question through the use of design thinking, creative problem solving, observation and ethnographic studies, data visualization and prototyping. They surveyed the surrounding neighborhood, they visualized their data through models and they interviewed community leaders and stakeholders. They became completely immersed in the issue and explored various ways of visualizing and understanding the problem. Once

they felt they had a grasp on it they began to work towards solutions to help mitigate the issue. In the end they came up with a video presentation, and a book that they designed which explained the process they went through, the insight they gathered, as well as possible solutions. Although this was a theoretical exercise, it was very much rooted in real life for the students, many of whom live in the Bronx. As a viewer, the most impressive part of that presentation was the fact that the students themselves presented the project. Hearing their first hand testimonies of what the experience had meant to them, and feeling the sincerity and excitement in their words was truly inspiring. An experience like that will not only leave a lasting impression upon those kids, but it will empower them to take up social justice causes in the future, with a strong understanding of the role that design can play in making information accessible, enjoyable and meaningful.

Case Studies

The Laundromat Project The The Laundromat project is a New York City community-based non-profit arts organization committed to the well being of people living on low incomes. This organization believes that creativity is a central component of healthy human beings, vibrant neighborhoods and thriving economies, and they work to bring art programs to those communities in a way that is accessible. With this goal in mind, the Laundromat Project houses its art program inside Laundromats in different communities, in hopes of raising the quality of life for people whose incomes do not guarantee broad access to mainstream arts and cultural facilities. This project is a wonderful example of disruptive design, where a physical element or activity is being introduced in a space, and acts as a disruption to the normal pattern of behavior. The Laundromat Project invites people to behave differently by creating an art engagement in a

common public space where people are often sitting for long periods of time while waiting for their laundry to be done. Create Change is a public art program developed by the Laundromat Project to connect communities and artists in meaningful ways. The goal is to build a corporation of artists to work alongside members of their community in collaborative and creative social endeavors. The program is currently available to artist living in the Grater New York Metropolitan Area, including New Jersey. Creative Change Professional Development Fellows participate in monthly discussions and workshops designed to help artists deepen their approach to having a socially engaged creative practice. These monthly sessions provide access to information and resources from both the arts and social justice sectors. The program also offers Artists in Residence positions, which are resourced to create sitespecific projects in their local Laundromats.

Case Studies

Word Up Books Word Up Books is a multi-language, general interest community bookshop and arts space in Washington Heights, committed to fostering a community in which residents help each other to live better informed and more expressive lives â&#x20AC;&#x153;using books as an instrument of reciprocal education and exchange, empowering not only themselves; but the communityâ&#x20AC;?. Originally intended as a pop up bookstore, only meant to last a month; Word Up was able to last over a year, thanks to the support of vested community members and active volunteers. Word Up originated as a result of a collaboration between landlord Vantage Residential, the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance, and the managing editor for the independent publisher Seven Stories Press Veronica Liu. Liu, a resident of the neighborhood, came up with the idea to create a pop up consignment bookshop as a response to the observation that Washington Heights is severely lacking in access to bookstores above 155th street. Washington Heights is a primarily low to middle income area, and is the second-most populated district in Manhattan, where there is the highest concentration of children and youth. The area has a rich history, yet a lack of open and safe spaces to reflect upon that history. Washington heights has a very diverse population with a wide range of ethnicities and nationalities, which creates a great opportunity for the sharing and exchange of culture, yet there are very few public spaces where residents are allowed to do so.

Soon after its grand opening in June of 2011, Word Up books, which in addition to serving as a bookstore also served as a local venue for community engagement and info-sharing, became a vast success. A month later, instead of closing as scheduled, Word Up Books was given an extended lease on a month-to-month basis by Vantage Residential. Thanks to the support, patronage, and volunteer efforts of members of the community along with their 900+ signatures on a petition. In the short time since its grand opening, Word Up Books had become a gathering place that united the community, where children, teens and adults alike could have access to reading material and cultural events. Word Up books is a prime example of how participatory community engagement and ownership are the keys to sustaining a social endeavor. Being a true community space, Word Up has hosted not only literary readings and musical concerts but also after-school programs, language salons, meditation workshops, craft circles, career building tutorials, art exhibits, musical lessons, auditions, film shoots and screenings, puppet shows, school field trips and fundraisers and Spanish language writing workshops. Many community groups have used Word Up as a venue to engage people in current issues. In its one year of existence, Word Up has had over a hundred community members dedicate their time to volunteer so that the space could be open and running seven days a weeks for community use.

“Noting that, though I could easily hop on a train and travel to

any of the bookstores I enjoy frequenting, a lack of them in our intensely populated neighborhood meant that there were a ton of kids who weren’t growing up with the experience of having such a space nearby.” Veronica Liu on starting Word Up

One of Word Upâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature programs is called Word Up CSB, which stands for Community Supported Bookshopâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a member program modeled on neighborhood CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture). CSAs create community networks of individuals who pledge to support a local farm, with growers and consumers sharing in the risk and benefits of food production. CSA members pay at the beginning of the growing season for a share of the harvest, and once the harvesting begins members receive weekly shares of the produce. In a similar way, the Word UP CSB consists of a $20 membership that is paid upfront for a hand silk-screened book tote bag and six wooden coins, each redeemable for a used book $1 to $5 in value. Members can redeem their coins once a month, or save them over time and redeem them all at once. The Word Up CSB, which was launched in December of 2011, is the second CSB program in the United States.

Conclusion As I embark upon my personal social design advocacy endeavor, I take away all of the principles and methodologies discussed in this thesis, as well as lessons from the examples described. It can be a very daunting first step, when you profess as a designer that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re hoping to impact social change through your work. Having said that, I take comfort in the knowledge that big change is done in small steps. As well as in the knowledge that I am not alone in this emerging field and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not alone in this process. As a social designer, hoping to create advocacy and awareness for a social cause on the community level, I am collaborating with visionaries and advocates that will teach me, guide me, and inspire me in the process, and hopefully this process will be reciprocal.

Conclusion

A piece of literature that has helped me visualize design for big social impact on a smaller scale, has been an essay by Lorella Di Cintio, a professor of Liberal Studies and Design at Ryerson University and Ontario College of Art and Design. In her paper she introduces a very interesting piece of terminology for social design and activism. In her own words, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Soft Design Activismâ&#x20AC;? is a practicebased methodology, which is inclusive, pro-active and participatory in nature. In other words, soft activism examines an existing designed entity from a human centered perspective. I interpret this to mean, that soft design activism is a practice used to reevaluate existing design solutions (entities) to human problems through a human centered point of view, as a way to improve them. The participatory aspect, speaks to the value of working with communities as well as with an interdisciplinary team, as was explained by RED when discussing transformation design. If we reexamine the work that CUP is doing for example, we can say that they are applying soft design activism to reevaluate the way that civic policy is presented to its constituents on a community level and applying a human centered approach to come up with more appropriate solutions that address the issue. I would extend this concept, to mean that you can look at any big complex social problem that is usually tackled by government and policy makers, through the human centered lens of a social design practice, and that is soft activism.

For the culmination of this thesis project, I have chosen to continue my professional relationship with Word Up Books to explore the issue of disparity, and the lack of access to books in the underserved community of Washington Heights. Part of my efforts will be focused towards the rebranding of the Word Up CSB (Community Supported Bookshop Program) modeled after neighborhoods CSAs. The components of this rebranding will include traditional print and web design collateral as a way to promote Word Up and the work that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doing towards creating positive social impact for the Washington Heights

community. In addition to this, I will be creating street art projects that will utilize disruptive design as a way to engage communities with the physical built environment, in hopes to begin a dialogue and encourage participation. This two fold approach to my visual solution will allow me the flexibility to explore design for social impact in both the practical sense, using a more traditional methodology where I can control the outcome, as well as in a more abstract, but hopefully generative, approach in which the community dictates the outcome.

Glossary A Advocacy - refers to action that is taken as a means to bring forth change on the behalf of a wronged, excluded or neglected group. In its essence, activism is driven by the occurrence of a perceived social problem that needs to be righted. Authentic design - that is genuine and sincere and seeks to represents the values of a community as accurately as possible. Awareness - refers to the act of spreading knowledge to the masses about a social issue, or problem, through the use of design. C Community Engagement - the collaborative and participatory process through which a designer engages communities in a social design endeavor, as a means to create ownership and sustainability. Community Ownership - any engaged community that becomes empowered through the process of having ownership over a specific design tool or methodology. D Design Activism - any kind of design that is done

with the specific intention of addressing a social, political, economic or environmental issue. Design Thinking - the collaborative process by which the designerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sensibilities and methods are employed to match peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs and solve human problems, converting need into demand. Design thinking is a human centered approach to problem solving that helps people and organizations become more innovative and more creative. Disruptive Design - a design methodology that occurs when a designer introduces a physical designed object to a space as a means to disrupt the normal path of behavior that takes place in that space. G Generative Design - any design that produces an output that encourages its users to comment and respond, thus contributing to sustaining the life and relevance of said outcome. H Human Centered Design - an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach to desingn and creative problem solving that emphasizes observation, and empathy while looking at an issue from the point of view and needs of the end user.

P Participatory Design - an approach which actively involves and engages all potential stakeholders in the design and planning process from the very start of a project in order to allow the community to inform and direct the project and take ownership over its progress. S Sensory Overload - a condition where one or more of the senses becomes over stimulated and strained, making it difficult to focus on a particular task. Sensory Poverty - learning about the world without experiencing it up close, and first hand. Social Change Design - design aimed at catalyzing transformations or behavioral shifts, especially using design as a process for altering society in one form or another Social Design - design that addresses a social/human issue, and engages the community.

the importance of demonstrating rigorous measurable social impacts. Soft Activism - a practice based methodology, which is inclusive, pro-active, and participatory in nature. Soft activism examines an existing designed entity from a human centered perspective. Sustainability - refers to sustaining the life and longevity of a social design endeavor long after the final product is designed. Symbiotic - the two way reciprocal relationship between a designer and a community. Both benefit and learn from one another through the collaborative and participatory practice of social design. T Tactile - a design that engages a userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sense of touch; tangible. Transformation Design - a human centered, interdisciplinary approach to design that seeks to create desirable and sustainable changes in behavior as well as form.

Social Impact Design - calls specific attention to the need for designers to test, prove, and document the impacts of their work, particularly emphasizing

Bibliography Ackerman, Diane. “Are We Living in Sensory Overload or Sensory Poverty.” The New York Times 10 June 2012, Opinionator sec.: n. pag. Print. Berger, Warren. Glimmer: How Design Can Transform Your Life, and Maybe Even the World. New York: Penguin, 2009. Print. Brown, Tim, and Barry Kātz. Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation. [New York]: Harper Business, 2009. Print. “Candy Chang.” Candy Chang. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2013. “CSA in Nyc.” Just Food. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. <http://www.justfood.org/csa>. “CUP: Home.” CUP: Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2013. Di Cintio, Phd, Lorella. Soft Design Activism. Diss. Ryerson University Ontario College of Art and Design, n.d. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. Fuad-Luke, Alastair. Design Activism: Beautiful Strangeness for a Sustainable World. London: Earthscan, 2009. Print. Findley, Lisa. Building Change: Architecture, Politics and Cultural Agency. London: Routledge, 2005. Print. “GLOSSARY | Public Interest Design.” Web log post. Public Interest Design GLOSSARY Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. Loudis, Jessica. “A Bookshop Opens for a One-Month Stand in Washington Hts.” The New York Times 20 June 2011, N.Y. / Region sec.: n. pag. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. Papanek, Victor J. Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change. Chicago, IL: Academy Chicago, 1985. Print. Sasaki, Sali. “The Role of Graphic Design in International Development.” ICOGRADA | The Role of Graphic Design in International Development. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2012. <http://www.icograda.org/feature/current/articles1814.htm>. Sen, Rinku. Stir It Up: Lessons in Community Organizing and Advocacy. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003. Print. Shea, Andrew. Designing for Social Change: Strategies for Community-based Graphic Design. New York: Princeton Architectural, 2012. Print. Shea, Andrew. “Flies in Urinals: The Value of Design Disruptions.” Design Observer (n.d.): n. pag. Web. <http:// changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/flies-in-urinals-the-value-of-design-disruptions/33108/>. Thorpe, Ann. “Defining Design As Activism.” Journal of Architectural Education (n.d.): 1-17. Print. United Kingdom. Design Council. Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. RED Paper. By Colin Burns, Hilary Cottam, Chris Vanstone, and Jennie Winhall. Design Council, n.d. Web. <http://www.designcouncil. org.uk/>.