drawing of a pencil

Better Worlds Workshop 1:
Engaging Critique

Aims

To help you feel more capable of developing sustainable graphic design practices.

Time

2.5 hours.

Participants

2-12 people, working in groups of 2 to 4. Participants should be designers, or people working in design. You should have some work experience. You do not have to be working in the same areas of design.

Equipment
Considerations

These workshops are not meant to evaluate, compare, or assess practices but your comfort level sharing details of your work with your group may vary. Before beginning, agree on how much detail you will be sharing about your work/workplaces (like names of clients and manufacturers). 
These will work best if all group members are able to be in the same space. If that is not possible, you can substitute any directions for working on paper to be for working in a collaborative online platform of your choice. Do not purchase any extra materials, use only what you already have.

a pencil drawing a line

Map of Practices

80 Minutes

drawing on two pages placed horizontally end to end
step 1 of 4 - INDIVIDUAL

Work on two horizontal A4 pieces of paper (see image to the left). Map out the project timeline of a recent project that you worked on. This timeline should include, from the left edge of the spread to the right:

  1. What you think/guess the reason for the brief was.
  2. How this brief reached you.
  3. The events/people/practices involved in making the work (including your role).
  4. What the end 'product' of the work was.
  5. And once the design project is released into the world, what happens?
a grid of papers each placed horizontally, two across and three down.
step 2 of 4 - Collaborative
(in groups of 2 to 4 people)

Lay your completed pages on your flat workspace in a column (see image to the right). Discuss and circle/highlight: what are the common elements across your projects, if any? Note these down by drawing arrows or circling these on the pages.

a new horizontal page with a line running horizontally through the middle
step 3 of 4 - INDIVIDUAL

Work on a new, single horizontal A4 piece of paper. Explore/map what impact this project might have 100 years from now on people and the planet. Choose one material/energy resource that was common in the design process/outcome, and read the entry for that resource in Materials and Internet in Graphic Design. Using this information, speculate:

  1. How far into the future does this material/energy use last?
  2. Does the project, as it currently stands, work towards the recapture, reuse, or reduction of that material/energy resource?
  3. Who will be responsible for the lasting impact of this project? Who will be affected by it?
a grid of nine pages, the right column is made up of teh pages from the previous step
step 4 of 4 - collaborative

Lay these on your flat workspace in a column to the right of your previous (see image to the right). Discuss and circle/highlight:

  1. How people are prioritised or affected.
  2. How profits are prioritised or affected.
  3. How material and energy use is prioritised or affected.
a star being drawn

Object of Care

30 Minutes

An object of care is something that you care about that might be affected by climate change or unsustainable practices. Examples include future generations, your pet(s), native animals that you like, your neighbourhood, your profession/role, a hobby, or a community group.

Step 1 of 1 - INDIVIDUAL

Create an image of your own object of care, using your creative skills in whatever way you wish. This should be on a new piece of paper or document. As your create, discuss these questions and make some notes around your finished image:

  1. How could you benefit your object of care through your design work/career?
  2. How does your design practice impact your object of care, now or in the future?
  3. How is your object of care affected by graphic design more broadly as an industry?
a group of people talking

Community Building

30 Minutes

Step 1 of 3 - INDIVIDUAL

Using the community resource links as a jumping off point, spend 10 minutes researching what sustainability-minded communities exist in local in-person and online spaces. Make a list somewhere that you can look at later (perhaps on your phone) of any that are relevant to your practice, interests, or Object of Care.

Step 2 of 3 - INDIVIDUAL

Spend 10 minutes identifying a gap in the existing groups. What would you like to have access to that isn't currently available (in your short search)?

Step 3 of 3 - INDIVIDUAL

In your small groups (2-4 people) discuss what you've found and speculatively brainstorm a new sustainability community group (or an extension of an existing one) that addresses your identified gaps. 

writing an email, note, or on your phone

Values and Actions

10 Minutes

Step 1 of 1 - INDIVIDUAL

On your phone or something you will see at work, write your answers to these questions.

  1. What are two material/energy resources you commonly use at work? [i.e. paper and fuel]
  2. What are two words to describe your design values? [i.e. sustainable and playful]
  3. What design focus might best benefit your Object of Care in the long run? [i.e. work that educates others, or affects human interactions, or directs funds to a certain area, or minimises material waste]

Over the following work week, look at this list at the start and end of each day. Try to record how many times the values and actions you wrote down were part of your at work.

Next Steps

Share images of your workshop session or feedback with us at hello@betterworlds.now.

Complete Workshop 2.

an arrow