Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Occupy Design creates visual language for the 99%


I'm on an impromptu last minute trip to DC. The minute I walked onto the familiar reddish tile of the Metro Station at National, I felt at ease. Like many of my trips after I moved elsewhere, I'm here for a semi-work reason but also spending time with friends and this time, with family. I likely won't get to post again this week, but since Occupy Oakland is weighing on my mind while I'm across the country, I wanted to share the work of Occupy Design.  Infographics and visuals can be incredibly impactful, particularly in breaking down numbers and complex comparisons.

From their website:
This is one of the first social movements in history able to produce high-quality imagery using digital graphic design tools, and distribute them instantaneously anywhere in the world using file-sharing and social media. We aim to provide a universal visual toolset for the Occupy movement which crosses language barriers and brings a strong visual identity to the movement. It’s also one of the first social movements with broad access to open data – which, if communicated correctly, makes it much more difficult for those who should be held accountable to hide from facts.

Because the movement is so diverse, the mainstream media has characterized it at various points as “directionless” and “lacking a message”. We believe that regardless of background or politics, 99% of the nation can truly agree upon the injustice demonstrated by a clear communication of facts and statistics in a well-designed way – and that bringing these facts to the street via physical infographic signs will help bolster the communication of occupations’ messaging. 

See more from Occupy Design in their slideshow:

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