Design as Activism

The proceedings of the 2024 Design as Activism Symposium are packed with inspiring and vital information for designers who want to design for more equitable outcomes. The book features partial transcripts of two keynote talks, three panel discussions, six workshops, and six conversations. It also includes methods and strategies that designers and design students can employ right away in their work.

The event itself (and the recordings permanently archived online) surfaced and highlighted the ways in which Chicago artists and designers are intersecting with activism. This book describes key themes facing Chicagoans' battles to lead equitable and flourishing lives: the need for participation, power sharing, and co-design to ensure successful, sustainable designed outcomes; participation and accessibility for disabled people; sustainability and access to clean air and water; inequitable access to healthcare for marginalized populations in segregated and historically exploited areas of the city; developing community resources to improve awareness and access to the built environment; strategies to imagine and create more just, joyful futures; the importance of democratic processes at the local and national levels. Readers will appreciate the highly interconnected, collaborative approach of Chicago artists and designers in doing this work, together.