Essay by Sean Donahue

[ Expanding Architecture: Design as Activism ]

“…the discipline of graphic design is not singularly defined by the form its artifacts have taken in the past.”

Designers have the opportunity to “Do Something, NOW” by envisioning new contexts for societal contribution.  Graphic design has the capacity to form, understand, and communicate – a language that makes the discipline unique and important.  No problem is black and white – design can, and should, provide a transition between cultural genres.  It is imperative that a designer define the problem he or she intends to solve.

When looking to shift away from the normative condition of Braille as the means by which the low-vision population communicate, a threshold must be crossed.

“Reservations were relaxed only after people saw how low-vision reacted to the material.”

The solution worked as intended due to the design focus on the specific group – not a catch-all protoype.

“In choosing to work directly with this community, I was able to avoid becoming entangled in the trappings of convention.”

The challenge to designers is to identify the areas where they can make a significant contribution.  We all have a unique set of gifts – explore the richness and potential of their full use.

“We visualize what is invisible, we motivate thought, and we incite others to wonder.  But most important, we communicate through inquiry…”