Identify Graphic Design's Impact on Society

This post is a capstone paper I wrote for the class Understanding Science Through Photography at the New England Institute of Technology. It outlines the impact of the graphic designer on our world.

Graphic Designers and the World: A Capstone Paper by Holly Breslin

Introduction

Graphic design student Justin Plante designing at the computer. Taken March 8 with Google Pixel 2 XL, shutter speed 1/30, aperture f/1.8, focal length 4.459 mm, ISO 115.

Take a good look at your surroundings – you will most likely see the work of a graphic designer present on some surface. Whether it be an advertisement, the cover of a book that rests on a shelf, the infographic on the wall of a doctor's office, or even a street sign, a graphic designer has had a hand in creating the very thing being looked at. Graphic designer may not seem like a noteworthy, or even very talked about, job title, but it is hard to deny its impact and importance. In this world, people are surrounded by a plethora of images, symbols, and pieces of text, a large amount of it put together by those called graphic designers.

Since graphic designers have such a visual presence in the world, it's evident that they have some sort of impact on everyday lives, or even society itself. Design may be an art in and of itself, and it can at times be beautiful, but the role of the graphic designer isn't to just create a attractive picture or decorate a space like one would with a painting; a graphic designer has a deeper social responsibility, and that can come in multiple forms. Graphic designers are responsible for the effective communication of ideas, and while doing so, they must take into account the needs of their audience, social and cultural trends or ethics, and when it comes to the materials for these messages, sustainability and impact on the environment. This paper will explore the graphic designer's relationship with society and the environment.

What Design Really is

Graphic design magazines in front of laptop with poster being designed. Taken March 11 with Google Pixel 2 XL, shutter speed 1/120, aperture f/1.8, focal length 4.459 mm, ISO 242.

Simply put, graphic design is visual communication through the use of and combination of typography, illustration, and photography. However, let us further analyze what the concept of design is. Is design an art? Technically, yes, design is an art, but it is somewhat of its own category in a sense. In an paper by Robert Harland, he references Jack Breen in saying that design could be seen as something that branches into both the arts and sciences and takes qualities from these two things to create its own category. While art makes up the quality of expression, science makes up that of knowledge. Design is considered to be a "third way" that combines both artistic and scientific thinking methods (Breen 2005) (Harland 2011, p. 27).

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) states that the functions of design itself can also be broken down into three categories: aesthetic, teleological, and semiotic. The textbook's graphic outlining the functions of design reads as follows: "Aesthetic: Related to beauty of form. Teleological: Related to function, purpose, application, and usability. Semiotic: Related to meaning and theme of content" (NCERT 2011, p. 4).

Graphic Design and Society

Graphic design is seen in many places: advertising, product packaging, website and app interfaces, documents, street signs or other forms of wayfinding, and even social awareness messages. Since design encompasses so many things in one's everyday life, it is important that the designers create with social awareness and accessibility in mind in order to cater to the wide array of people living in the world, not just one type.

Social Awareness and Responsibility

In the past, the role of a graphic designer may have been easier. Their main task was to create the decoration for or give form to products, operate within aesthetic and technical principles, and focus on the marketability of products. Now designers must be aware of social trends, their ethical implications, and reproduce cultural meanings through their design  (Margolin 2007) (Al Qur'an 2016, p. 1472) (Fox & Grant p. 77, 1992). Designers in this present day should also be working towards more representation and elimination of harmful stereotypes. The responsibilities of the designer have indeed widened, but that does not mean they should be ignored by designers and their clients, because what people see around them can impact them internally.

Designers should be able to understand the social context behind why consumers use certain products, because if they do not, they won't be able to effectively create meanings that are socially relevant. Designers that concern themselves with the needs of the consumer and human interaction itself could be called social designers. In order to achieve good social design, the design should appeal to the basic needs of the target audience and their human rights. One example from this article would be a furniture and hardware store guaranteeing the comfort and effectiveness of their products, while including images of people, especially of women and minorities, that are positive. Present on the packaging of these products should be messages that are easy to understand and legible, as well as materials that are not harmful. Relating back to including women and minorities in the advertisements, also present in this article was an ad for Simmons Beautyrest, featuring a woman wearing business clothes lying on a bed, her briefcase and shoes beside it. This woman was portrayed in a positive and empowering light, as she was not displayed in a demeaning or harmfully stereotypical manner, but rather as a hardworking person that deserves the support and comfort the bed brings her (Fox & Grant p. 85 & 86, 1992). Designers should work to eliminate harmful stereotypes and portrayals of those who are considered minorities or marginalized, as this could help us work towards a better society. Representation that is accurate and positive is something designers should work towards with their clients in order to not only appeal to a wider audience, but to lift them up and make them feel accepted, which also from a business standpoint could contribute to brand loyalty.

Understanding cultural associations in graphic elements, as well as understanding key social issues and current events going on in the world are two other things a designer should have. Colors can have different mental associations carried with them depending on the culture; making sure to research what colors mean in a certain culture is a good thing to do when designing for one. A color that may carry a positive connotation in one culture may carry a negative one in another, as this all depends on the upbringing, beliefs, mythology, politics, and worldview of those within the culture. Some colors are extremely culturally-significant as well, and that should be taken into account and explored. Colors can provoke certain feelings and or even provide situational context, so they should be used wisely (Yu p. 49 & 51). Designers should follow a similar approach when it comes to cultural symbols and patterns; when designing something cultural, take the time to learn about the cultural significance of the design and why someone familiar with it may be attracted to it or identify with it (NCERT 2011, p. 7 & 8). Events and issues that take place within society are also important for designers to make themselves aware of. It is important to note that both media and society are reflections of each other; as such, the social responsibility that designers have is working towards a better society and environment. With their artistic and communicative skills, designers have the ability to create awareness about these current events or social issues through many means. Just as designers can create branding or package design, designers can also create engaging and informative graphics and campaigns to highlight issues such as global warming, abuse, domestic violence, and child labor, among many other things (NCERT 2011, p. 8, 9, & 11). Most people have most likely seen many of these social awareness campaigns in the form of billboards, posters, or web advertisements. Graphic designers can, indeed, be a force of social change by educating the public on important matters affecting humanity and the world itself.

Designing for Accessibility

There are many people in the world that possess some type of disability or impairment, whether it be visual, auditory, or mobile, mental. Designing for accessibility is of extreme importance to get messages to as many people as possible and practice inclusivity. With the technology available today, designers can make distribution of media and messages more accessible. In terms of documents, Section 508 requires Federal agencies to make all of their documents accessible to people with disabilities or impairments (GSA 2018). Accessible PDF documents should be able to be read aloud by assistive technology like a screen reader, have searchable text, forms that are interactive and able to be tabbed through, and tagged paragraphs and graphics, descriptions on images, and navigational aids, among other things. In addition, e-publications should have reflowable text that allows the user to resize it to suit their visual needs (Adobe). Similar accessibility parameters are also be great for websites and apps. Accessibility is greatly important because of the Digital Famine, which is essentially the fact that there is not enough digital content available for those with disabilities or impairments. Ignoring this piece of the population when creating e-publications prevents a larger audience of people from seeing content they could benefit from or enjoy (Garrish 2012). Designers could be an important key in increasing inclusivity in society and recognizing diversity in all of its many forms.

Graphic Design and Sustainability

Sustainable Forestry Initiative logo on box bordered by leaves. Taken March 10 with Google Pixel 2 XL, shutter speed 1/30, aperture f/1.8, focal length 4.459 mm, ISO 748.

Part of the graphic designer's social responsibility is to the environment, and that is implemented through making environmentally-conscious decisions while designing. The overuse of natural resources, combined with energy consumption and pollution, is causing the environment to degrade rapidly. As people who create products that require a lot of materials, designers are responsible for minimizing their ecological footprint and making wiser, less destructive, and less wasteful decisions about materials and energy consumption (NCERT 2011, p. 11).

Professor Brooke N. Scherer, Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Tampa, taught a class on sustainable design. Some of the questions she had the students answer during creating their designs were as follows: "Have I chosen a design for re-use/longevity? Have I chosen to design cyclically and not linearly? Have I chosen recyclable/non-toxic materials? Have I managed to eliminate waste? Have I managed to minimize ink coverage? Have I taken care and shown respect for the community? Have I helped improve the quality of life? Have I helped to minimize the depletion of nonrenewable sources? Have I helped to enable a change in personal attitudes and practices?" (Scherer p. 7). Teaching sustainable design from the start is key to creating a more eco-friendly world, as we'll be turning out new designers with a grasp on these environmental concepts. No longer is the graphic designer's duty just to create visuals; their duty is to be active in how they affect society and the environment. However, while these questions Scherer wrote were for students, designers already in the field should be asking themselves these same questions in order to help them pursue sustainability in their design work.

In order to create sustainable design, the designer must choose the types of materials that they plan to use in their project. Offset inks, the traditional type used for printing, contain pigments that composed of many metals, the most toxic of them being a group referred to as CAMALS (cadmium, arsenic, mercury, antimony, lead, and selenium). Groundwater contamination has been the result of the paper wasted from landfills containing paper printed with these inks. It is also difficult to get rid of dye based inks during the recycling process. A lot of the additives within these inks are petroleum-based. Inks are dried through the heatsetting process, and this uses up more energy during the print run. Also during this heatsetting, 35 to 45 percent of the VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) within the inks could be released; VOCs are substances that are carbon-based and are harmful to the environment and health. There are some alternative ink choices that designers can choose in order to be more environmentally-friendly, although nothing is perfect. UV inks dry when exposed to ultraviolet lamps that are situated next to the paper rollers, making it so that they instantly dry. Since they dry instantly, there isn't a need for heatsetting, reducing both energy consumption and VOC release. UV inks also don't require solvents. The downside to UV inks is that the technology is costly and staff needs special training. Vegetable-based ink is another alternative, and it works on the same types of printers that offset inks do, so no special equipment or training is required. A certain amount of the petroleum base within the vegetable-based ink is replaced with oil that is bio-derived, which can lessen the emission of VOCs. The downside of this type of ink is that it requires more drying time, which means increased printer energy consumption due to longer heatsetting. Overall, the best choice of action for a designer concerning inks is to choose inks based on the level of harmful substances, minimize the coverage of ink, and try not to make long bleeds off the actual printed area (Romano 2014, p. 28 – 30). Designers also need to be conscious about paper choices. In fact, the production of paper claims about 40 percent of the responsibility for the world's industrial deforestation (Dougherty 2008) (Romano 2014, p. 33). The production of new paper is destructive and requires trees, energy, and water. In terms of alternatives, PCR (post-consumer recycled fiber) has become an substitute to paper that is virgin fiber-based. PCR is created through paper collection programs and it does not rely on forest ecosystems. Another paper alternative would be to use paper from forests that are managed responsibly and made out of fiber that is sustainably harvested. There are also different types of tree-free alternative fibers becoming available, so designers can consider those as well. Bamboo is also a great alternative, as it is fast-growing and does not need to be replanted since it regrows from the roots, eliminating the impact on the soil's top layer. Hemp is a similar tree-free substitute (Romano 2014, p. 33 – 39). Essentially, choices about materials such as ink and paper are paramount in a designer's plan to be sustainable.

Conclusion

Since the work of graphic designers is so visibly present within one's life, it should not come as too much of a surprise how much of an effect they have on the world. Their impact can be felt in society and culture through how they communicate ideas and portray people, issues, and events. Design reflects society and it, in turn, reflects graphic design; as such, design can be used to make a positive difference in the world. Designers also find themselves with the task of being environmentally-friendly and sustainable. As designers adopt more eco-friendly practices, they reduce waste, destruction, and harmful substances being released into the atmosphere. It's also a hope that as graphic designers adopt eco-friendly attitudes that other people will follow suit. Take another look around, this time realizing how deeply designers have impacted the world.

References

Adobe. (n.d.). PDF Accessibility Overview. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://www.adobe.com/accessibility/pdf/pdf-accessibility-overview.html

Romano, C. (2014). Rethinking Print Design: The Impact of Sustainability On the Future of Print (Unpublished master's thesis). Tampere University of Applied Sciences. Retrieved February 24, 2019.

Breen, J. (2005). Designerly Enquiry. Ways to Study and Research Urban, Architecture and Technical Design, 97.

Dougherty, B., Celery Design Collaborative. 2008. Green Graphic Design. New York: Allworth Press.

Garrish, M. (2012). Chapter 1: Introduction. In Accessible EPUB 3. Tools of Change.

Grant, J., & Fox, F. (1992). Understanding the Role of the Designer in Society. Journal of Art & Design Education, 11 (1), 77-87. Retrieved February 24, 2019.

Harland, R. (2011). The Dimensions of Graphic Design and Its Spheres of Influence. Design Issues, 27 (1), 21–34. Retrieved February 17, 2019.

Hussam Al Qur'an. (2017). The Effect of Social Development on Graphic Design Practice. An-Najah University Journal for Research, B: Humanities, 31 (8), 1469–1486. Retrieved February 17, 2019.

Margolin, V. (2007). Design, the Future and the Human Spirit. Design Issues, 23(3), 4-15.

National Council of Educational Research and Training. (2011). The Role of Design in Society. In Towards a New Age in Graphic Design (pp. 3-13). Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi: Publication Department by the Secretary, NCERT. Retrieved February 24, 2019.

Scherer, B. N. (n.d.). Consciously Creative: Where Sustainability Meets Design Education (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Tampa. Retrieved February 24, 2019.

U.S. General Services Administration. (2018, November). IT Accessibility Laws and Policies. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://www.section508.gov/manage/laws-and-policies

Yu, H. (2014). A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Symbolic Meanings of Color. Chang Gung Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 7(1), 49-74. Retrieved February 24, 2019.

Identify Graphic Design's Impact on Society

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