Designersforobama.org?

Poster design by Nicholas Rock, 2008

Would you like to own designersforobama.org? What would you do with it?

Last February, in the heat of the primary campaign, Winterhouse got (very) excited about Barack Obama's candidacy, and we asked what designers could do to help his campaign. We wondered whether there wasn't some opportunity for collective action, or for a specific initiative, or for a news source about the campaign focused on design issues, or maybe even a citizen journalism project. So we rushed out and bought this historic URL — designersforobama.org. (As fortune tellers, we're one-for-one: we also bought designersfordean.org in 2003...

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Whose Flag?

Adbusters' poster, design by Pedro Inoue, 2008

Recently, I received a poster on a topic I care about, issued by an organization I respect. It's a call-for-entries for a flag design competition being hosted by Adbusters, on the topic of global citizenship. The jury consists of 7 judges, 4 of whom are contributors to Design Observer, and all of whom are capable critics, respected in the field.

The seven person jury, however, consists entirely of white men.

Nearly a decade into a new century, I believe it is unacceptable for a design organization, foundation, board of directors, magazine or other enterprise, to mount an initiative with an all male panel of judges — or, put another way, "white, native English-speaking men from the U.S., British Isles or Australia." Such behavior is no longer acceptable and should not be tolerated by a community of designers (or any other community).

Designers around the world should just say no.

This is a competition for a flag to represent global citizenship — in this, the year of Barack Obama; the year of the 45th anniversary celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech; and the year we celebrate the 88th anniversary of the U.S. 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote...

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Hurricane Watch: Gustav Emergency Relief

Hurricane Gustav is hitting New Orleans and Gulf States region today. Here's a quick summary of major resources for designers (and others). The single best resource is the Gustav Wiki with hundreds of leads and links, as well as news and facts.

AIGA NOLA activated its network last week, even initiating a phone tree to reach hundreds of members. AIGA members (or creatives in allied fields) are encouraged to contact president@neworleans.aiga.org or relief@aiga.org to access the AIGA network for assistance. AIGA National is coordinating with local chapters throughout the southern states.

AIGA and Chopping Block are again turning on DisplacedDesigners.com as a place to enter needs, or to offer help. The site does work and needs / offers to help will be quickly approved.

Other Resources...

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