Communication designers have always played a role in advancing socially relevant issues. Since one of the special attributes that a designer brings to a visual communication problem and its solution is empathy, it is not surprising that design students have an attraction to projects that affect the human condition. As our ever increasing social-network-centric culture receives a constant stream of overloaded information from all over the world, there is an opportunity to take a hard look through all this informative “noise” and reflect at social issues afflicting people all over the world. The nature of this part of the Graphic Design curriculum at Boston University Center for Digital Imaging Arts is the resolution of visual communication problems that can stand out and effectively communicate those social problems that both challenge the audience and pay respect to the afflicted.
The Assignment: Design a poster, publication jacket cover, or any other appropriate application to a social cause. The headline of the design you may change accordingly. Additional text and/or statistics that help the communication objectives of your piece may also be added. See the blog post: Image and Meaning.