mkwatt-artg210-2022

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Briefing

On January 26th, Emily Alyward and I met for our first project briefing to discuss general details around integrating Biopower to the People into a Maclean's-esque layout.

After reviewing the creative brief together, I feel confident that Emily and I are aligned in our vision. She asked detail-oriented questions that helped us get more specific on the qualities of the layout. I provided a hard copy of the publication for her ongoing reference, and together we reviewed specific examples within it.

Communication between her and I felt easy and open, and I look forward to the process ahead with her, beginning with Proof 1 on February 2nd.

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Tweaked Manifesto #6

The hand lettering makes this feel a little more human and appeals to the viewers sense of empathy. The change of phrasing clarifies the message.

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Manifesto #6

constraint: black & white + texture

The final piece of the Manifesto! This design speaks to the importance of considering how others experience the day-to-day and therefore how they interact with design. Circumstances vary greatly from one person to the next, and design should be considerate of meeting the diverse range of needs that come with that reality. It's a simple message with big weight.

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Summary #6

In his 2019 article “I wrote the book on user-friendly design. What I see today horrifies me”, Don Norman describes, from a first hand stance, the many ways in which current design fails the elderly. Packaging that is near impossible to get open, lids that require a wrench to get off, and print so small that a magnifying glass is needed are just a few examples of the challenges faced by an ever-growing senior population in North America. For those few products that have been designed with elderly accessibility in mind, the aesthetics often “tend to be ugly and an unwanted signal of fragility.” But design doesn’t, and shouldn’t, have to be one or the other. Norman reminds us that “Almost anything that will help the elderly population will end up helping everyone”. I am hopeful that mainstream design will shift to accommodate both function and form for every demographic. 

JP Williams addresses the historic Palm Beach election ballot design failure that caused chaos in a presidential election in their article “Design Issues: The State of the Ballot”. Williams points out that design is often only acknowledged when it’s gone wrong and has negatively impacted a number of people. It is in the light of such instances that the value of designers is shown to be great. Design facilitates an undercurrent of growth and evolution that should be valued and supported. It is up to us as designers to stand solidly in our value and make the importance of our work known. 

Key points from RGD’s Access-Ability:

- “Design for the outliers”

- Considerations for all design work:

Sensory

Cognitive

Language

Colour

Typographic qualities

Digital specific

Semantics

Web

Document specific

-Stay current and updated on accessibility matters

Real world example:

After a bit of unsuccessful searching for an ‘design accessibility fail’, I realized one had been in my pocket the whole time; my iPhone. Perhaps not the most original example but I’ve seen a couple unique ways in which this design, particularly the touch screen, has failed people. The first is example is specific to elderly. In her later years, my grandma began having some motor challenges as a result of her osteoporosis. This meant operating a touch screen or even a phone with small buttons (do they even make those anymore?) was not possible, so she opted for a landline phone with large buttons. This also meant that when she went out and about, she didn’t have a phone to carry in case of emergency. Not ideal. The second example comes from my dad when he worked as a first responder (no motor skill issues). In the winter when temperatures would drop (central Alberta, think -30 C), the screens would stop responding to touch and he would not be able to make important phone calls to coordinate with other responders. Fairly problematic. I think some sort of ‘keyboard’ attachment could be designed that fits over part of the screen almost as a case fits on the back that would allow users the option of tangible buttons. (above: photo by Bogus Hernawan, Unsplash)

t-t-t-take-aways:

Design is the intersection of form and function

Good design renders everyone equals

Design = walking a mile in everyone’s shoes

Design so well they don’t notice ;)

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Tweaked Manifesto #5

The tweaks for this revision were minimal, including only the addition of some subtle gradients and drop shadows to a) mimic the real deal and b) to place more emphasis on the message. The 'thumbs up' addition is to imply agreement from both people in the conversation on the importance of the subject.

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Manifesto #5

constraint: reverse type + positive type

"Accessibility: Let's talk about it!" was very much inspired by reading the research article "Visual accessibility in graphic design: A client-designer communication failure" by Katie Cornish et al. This article clearly exposed the manner in which accessibility in design is regularly avoided. Accessibility is a very important conversation to start with our clients early on in the design process so that we as designers can make our intentions clear and ensure that the final product is accessible to as wide an audience as possible.

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Summary #5

In her article “What do Dinosaurs and Good Healthcare Design Have in Common?”, Joyce Lee discusses the topic of design in the healthcare industry. Healthcare is often overlooked as being an industry in need of design, but quite the opposite is true. Especially in the case of pill bottles, design plays a crucial role in keeping labeling clear and therefore safe for users. Lee shows examples of botched medication labeling in which the dominant element is the company name rather than safe use instructions. She then goes on to introduce Deborah Adler’s ClearRx pill bottle design which demonstrated labeling with a clear hierarchy of the important information, a bottle shape that was more conducive to displaying this information, and even considerate of sustainability. Unfortunately, in a case of profit over people when a new company took ownership, the design was lost to the archives. To me, this article reiterates the importance of understanding and designing for you audience. 

Section 1 Planning and Management of RGD’s Access-Ability book addresses anyone in the trade of designing communication materials. As we all will inevitably face disability in one form or another throughout our lives, designing for accessibility is as much designing for ourselves as it is for others. This is no longer an optional practice but rather a necessity; “Accessibility should not be considered an add-on or feature.” Little is often understood about accessible design by our clients so it is our responsibility as designers to guide clients in understanding that accessible design means improved quality of life for everyone. This also means we must understand the practice thoroughly ourselves so we can provide informed recommendations and ensure that our clients’ legal obligations surrounding accessibility are met. Such an undertaking may seem daunting for our client but we can ease this through prioritizing their budget and looking at gradual accessibility phase-ins for their design materials. Though a design can never be 100% accessible, we can do our best and in turn create a better quality of life for everyone. 

“Visual accessibility in graphic design: A client-designer communication failure”, a research article written by Katie Cornish et al, takes a close look at the root cause of the lack of visual accessibility in graphic design through survey findings. The survey’s findings expose a finger-pointing-style discrepancy surrounding the responsibility of accessibility within design; the designers say the client has no budget for it or doesn’t include it in their brief, clients say they weren’t made aware of it or assumed the designer would cover it no questions asked. These findings express the need for an accessibility conversation at the beginning of every design project. Communication really is key. Ultimately, I feel accessibility is everyone’s responsibility; both the designer and the client should “…drive the need for inclusivity.” There are tools to help with visual accessibility, we need to use them and in turn contribute to their further development. As designers, accessibility can become a default part of our process, part of the client’s cost from the start. We can and should educate our clients on the importance of this. Folks with accessibility challenges should by no means struggle due to poor communication between people who don’t necessarily experience the same challenges. “We need to reconcile, not the perception of the importance of visual accessibility, but the communication of the need for it, between graphic designers and clients. "

A summary of thoughts on the “Accessibility Projects of RGD Members” article:

David Berman for the Clear Covid Mask: This is brilliant but shouldn’t be considered brilliant; this should be the standard, to design inherently for EVERYONE especially in such a challenging and already isolating situation.

Meggan Van Harten for ArQuives: A wonderfully accessible safe space on a world wide web that often feels very unsafe. Also fosters a sense of community, connection. 

Andrew Boardman for Pitblado: Such a great example of a long-standing business taking responsibility to keep with the times, maintain an open mind, and contribute to positive standard shifts. Additionally, this will help them garner a wider range of clients.

Mirela Zdjelaric for CI Investments: A great example of how thoughtful planning and attention to detail pay off.

Denis Leclerc for Group Média TFO: This team clearly understood their audience very thoroughly and designed with many different needs-based scenarios in mind.

Kelly Small for CNIB Guide Dogs: Though no design can be 100% accessible, this one seems to come close. So many considerations included without compromising the quality of the design.

t-t-t-take-aways:

Accessibility: Talk about it

Write accessibility into your process and budget

Accessibility is everyone's responsibility

Communication is key

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Tweaked Manifesto #4

The larger type in this tweaked version eliminates some of the hierarchy competition between the bright background and the white type for better readability.

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Manifesto #4

constraint: type + texture + colour

'Design for no dead ends' was inspired by learning more about the Cradle to Cradle philosophy in which products do not come to a dead end in the landfill. Instead they can be dismantled and broken down into raw materials which can safely biodegrade in the ecosystem or be used in another way. The chosen typeface appears to be almost biodegrading from the centre out - a great metaphor for this dismantling. As the phrase slowly biodegrades, it continues past its own dead end, the period which is being passed over by the word 'ends'.

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Summary #4

On his website DesTech Wiki, Mr T uses a portion of his “Resource Management and Sustainable Production” section to define Cradle to Cradle and Cradle to Grave philosophies. Cradle to Cradle describes a product's birth and rebirth, in a cyclical pattern which feeds back into a healthy environment between stages of being an in-use product. This is to say that the product does not hit the land fill and die, but rather is disassembled in a manner that eliminates waste and is returned to the beginning of the cycle as raw material. This is a ‘make to make again’ philosophy.

Cradle to Grave is quite different. This is a linear ‘Take-Make-Waste’ model that sees the birth of a product followed by its death in a landfill, its life cycle ending in a single generation. Nothing is returned in a healthy way to the ecosystem from which it came. 

In GORE-TEX’s Life Cycle Assessment video, the company outlines how they utilize the internationally recognized Life Cycle Assessment, or LCA, standard as a way to minimize the negative effects of their Cradle to Grave product cycles. The LCA approach enables the company to view its impacts from a “bigger picture” perspective in order to assess energy consumption, carbon emissions, and water pollution. This allows them to identify where their own largest impacts occur which is the first step in understanding how to reduce them. 

Cradle to Cradle NGO’s 2015 video What is Cradle to Cradle is a beautiful visual depiction defining the Cradle to Cradle philosophy. They begin by reminding viewers that Earth is a closed-loop system and resources are NOT infinitely available. Our current ways of living do not reflect this truth and are therefore not sustainable. Waste and pollutants continue to end up in all the wrong places, causing harm to every system on the planet. The Cradle to Cradle model takes after nature itself, observing that “waste is simply a valuable resource in the wrong place”. Following the C2C model, products should be made to biodegrade. Any products that cannot safely biodegrade (technical products) should be made to be dismantled at the end of their use, rendering raw materials to be used again in other ways. In this way we not only reduce our harmful impacts but also increase our eco-positive footprint. With careful planning in the design stage, this can be achieved. 

In the final pages of his book do good design, David B. Berman lays out a three step pledge for designers to take: I will be true to my profession. I will be true to myself. I will spend at lease 10 percent of my professional time helping repair the world.Berman goes into each step of the pledge to break down the process. The first step can be as simple as joining and adhering to a professionally determined set of ethics through an organization, such as RGD. In his second step Berman asks us to be good people. Do what we know to be right, offset negative impacts. The third and final step asks us to help others who are carrying out step two; help others be good people.

RGD’s "Sustainability Guidelines for Creatives” is broken down into four categories: At Work, Physical Goods, Digital Design, and Resources. The “At Work” checklist asks us to consider our workplace; do we utilize reusable kitchenware? Do our coffee and water stations produce waste? Have we made recycling clear and easy? Can we reduce packaging waste by reusing that which we receive? Can we source more eco-friendly office supplies? Do we support local suppliers when possible? The physical setup of our work environment is also important - light, plants, comfortability. Also, how can we limit power consumption? What measures are in place to limit paper consumption? Can we incentivize alternative transportation methods for our employees? Lastly, ensure the company's sustainability standards are established clearly with all employees. 

The “Physical Goods” checklist examines printing habits and event-related goods. The checklist encourages us to choose paper suppliers with sustainability practices in place. Be aware of toxic materials used in printing such as adhesives and inks and find eco-friendly alternatives. Also, what will happen to our print products after use and how can we ensure they avoid the landfill? Reuse options? In event planning, be careful to not over-order customer swag and consider how signage can be reused in the future.

The checklist for “Digital Design” brings to light many hidden impacts of our digital world. We need to be aware that large bandwidth requirements caused by things like large image file sizes, inefficient file types, and data-heavy fonts put greater demand on our limited energy sources. How can we lessen our power consumption and encourage others to do the same?

In her article “A Guide to Sustainable Graphic Design” for Terra Movement, Sofia Hadjiosif discusses the many elements of sustainable design. Sustainable graphic design is design which considers “raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, and disposal” all in an effort to reduce environmental impact. These considerations often ask us to change our habits. We need sustainable design because of the climate crisis. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation and graphic design is a key player, possessing the power to influence and set examples. Our practices must reflect the state of the planet. Things to consider include material types and quantities, recyclability, and necessity. When planning digital work we must consider the impact of our devices and equipment and what best practices we can implement to limit our footprint (unplug!). It is also important to be aware of the impacts that web pages, a seemingly harmless entity, have on our environment. As graphic designers, we must be thoughtful about what messages we send in all our design choices. Be transparent and honest, and let those qualities expose practices you are proud of. 

T-t-t-take aways:

Best Practices = Better Planet

Checklists help

Think it all the way through

Design for no dead-ends

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Tweaked Manifesto #3

For this revision, I brought the imagery outside of the letters to allow it more space to be seen. I also redistributed the bottom portion of text to achieve more balance.

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Manifesto #3

constraint: handlettering + sans serif

Inspired by the words of Erik Spiekermann in his forward for do good design, manifesto #3 is a reminder that though we don't always have control of what clients ask for, we do have control of how we accomplish the task. In making design choices we should consider resource extraction methods, resource production methods, and end-of-life destinations for the products we work on so we may best design sustainably.

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Summary #3

Erik Spiekermann has written a Foreword for David B. Berman’s book do good design. In his concise, down to earth manner, Spiekermann sheds light on some of the choices we do and don’t have control over as designers. One thing that he defines as being completely in our control is how we work. How we go about our process, and all the interactions that entails, is our most sure tool in making the difference we want to see not only in our industry but in the world around us. 

To wrap up his book do good design, David B. Berman lays out a three step pledge for designers to take:

I will be true to my profession.

I will be true to myself. 

I will spend at lease 10 percent of my professional time helping repair the world.

Berman goes into each step of the pledge to break down the process. The first step can be as simple as joining and adhering to a professionally determined set of ethics through an organization, such as RGD. In his second step Berman asks us to be good people. Do what we know to be right, offset negative impacts. The third and final step asks us to help others who are carrying out step two; help others be good people.

In chapter two of Design to Renourish, Eric Benson and Yvette Perullo discuss systems thinking as it pertains to graphic design. Everything in the natural world which sustains us is interconnected, and graphic design is no exception. As designers, we must ask ourselves how our approach to designing can improve everything for everyone, not just satisfy the client budget. We must seek to improve the triple bottom line in everything we do. This includes understanding all the biological systems we will effect (biomimicry). To grasp the full scope of our design impact, and incorporate that understanding, Benson and Perullo suggest this systems design process:

Determine project goals (understand your audience, form creative brief).

Map out design problems (problem/audience mapping, personas).

Brainstorm design outcomes (define all possibilities).

Evaluate each possible project outcome (in depth).

This holistic evaluation will help us interconnect our design phases and zoom in and out on each element to understand the whole.

10 Principles for Good Design is Dieter Rams’ guide to designing sustainably. The selection of principles encourages the creativity and functionality of design while including sustainability as their equal. Overall the list speaks to designing mindfully and with a bigger-picture awareness of one’s work. 

In his 2009 documentary Objectified, producer and director Gary Hustwit guides viewers through interviews with multiple designers as they speak about their relationship to products of design. Henry Ford is quoted having said “Every object tells a story if you know how to read it.” For some, the story is in the object’s conceptualization, for others the story is in the memories layered onto the object over time. If the true value of an object or product comes from our personal relationship with it, then certainly as Bill Moggridge says, we should be designing products to withstand “wearing-in rather than wearing-out.” In this way, consumer needs can be met in a more sustainable manner, with products that represent more than just a dollar value to those purchasing them; mindfulness in every stage of product life. 

t-t-t-take-aways:

Practice mindfulness

The ‘how’ is in our hands

Get smart/expand your horizons

Help others help others

Design for longevity

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Tweaked Manifesto #2

My original Manifesto #2 had a lot going on - too many ideas where competing and there was a lack of concision. After receiving feedback, the idea was specified and the design elements were paired down. The tweaked version expresses more urgency, as in a command, and a human quality that is more relatable.

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Manifesto #2

design constraint: rebus+type

This manifesto aims to build an awareness of the many effects design can have on the world around us. The various different rebuses incorporated into the words are a reminder of all the groups that may be included, or excluded if we aren't careful, in our audience. Who are we impacting and how (intentionally and unintentionally)? The rest of the letters are composed of type cut from used plastic packaging that were then scanned and placed into Illustrator. The use of 'garbage' reminds us to also consider the environmental impacts of our practice.

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Summary #2

Chapter one of Design to Renourish, written by Eric Benson and Yvette Perullo, introduces the topic of sustainability as it pertains to graphic design. Right away, the authors ask us to examine the inadvertent outcomes of our design choices. By introducing the triple bottom line model, which depicts sustainability as the product of balanced growth between the environment, people, and the economy, we start to see just how far reaching our impact can be. Benson and Perullo go on to outline the potential we have as designers to do good, to do bad, and to do better. On the ‘good’ list, designers can help shape the world through educating our audiences on worthy causes, promoting open information sharing, assisting economic growth, and inspiring folks to take action against injustices. The ‘bad’ list is composed of equal and opposite forces; how do our consumption of materials and production of design products such as packaging (or “beautifully designed trash”) contribute to the climate crisis? Is the messaging we create part of a marketing agenda to “manipulate and prey on vulnerabilities” of specific audiences? Are we promoting profit in a manner that makes items less accessible to certain groups? Finally, we round the corner to the list of ‘better’. Benson and Perullo summarize by pointing out that though we face many hurdles as designers, there is always a sustainable path to be taken.

The topic of the triple bottom line as discussed by Benson and Perullo reminded me of the Concentric Model of Sustainability that, though similar to the triple bottom line, delegates the environment as the single most important factor.

Source: Robert J. Muckle and Laura Tubelle de González. “Through the Lens of Anthropology.” Second Edition. University of Toronto Press. 2019.

David B. Berman uses chapters six and seven of his book Do Good Design to address specific demographics which have, and continue to be, targeted, misrepresented, and taken advantage of by marketing design. He first examines the female form, and its objectification over the last several decades for the sake of profit. This is supported by many visual examples. He asks the reader to become aware of such tactics and offers a solution; “respect everyone” and create messages of health and well being for all. In the following pages, he addresses other vulnerable groups that are exploited by marketing ploys such as children and people living in developing countries. Berman details how marketing can lead to low self-esteem in members of these groups and therefore increase susceptibility to more extreme forms of manipulation down the road. Even basic human instinct is being used as a weapon of profit in the form or perfumes and colognes. According to Berman, such is the doing of greed. As designers, we hold power over the influential qualities of our work, human representation within our work, and material consumption for our work. With that power lies the responsibility to take responsibility “Because we can.”

In his article Should Designers Take Responsibility for the Ethics of Their Clients?, James Cartwright questions the level of ethical involvement designers should hold in the work they produce for others. His “beef” with the issue is that many designers seem to talk the talk of upholding strong ethics, but when presented with a cash-cow opportunity somewhat void of ethical value, often take the money and run. Through Cartwright’s discussions with other designers, we come to see that the issue is not black and white. For one thing, ethics are defined by the individual, so there is no consistent measure of what is or is not ethical. Secondly, when addressing large companies, there is often little transparency around their business practices. And of course, there is the issue of putting food on the table. Cartwright reminds us that neither design nor design clients “exist in a vacuum” and that there are consequences to the work we produce. By the end of his article, Cartwright maintains the stance that designers hold some level of responsibility for the ethics of the work they are paid to do, and even offers some second-hand advice on doing so: reach out to non-profits, volunteer, or start a conscientious side hustle. 

t-t-t-take-aways:

Understand your ripple-out

There are always ways to accomplish good

Define your responsibilities as a designer

Design respectfully

If you can, do

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Tweaked Manifesto #1

This version says what it needs to say without the personal, more emotional element of the 'road ahead'. The use of negative sucks the eye in. By paring it down, it may even reach a broader audience.