This is a forum for designers, design educators, design students and those from affiliated fields and areas of interest too numerous to list!

Design is never completely neutral. Both good and bad design make a difference (or cause problems). By exchanging ideas we hope to explore the fundamental underpinnings of what makes graphic design, 2D design and other cross over areas of design like signage and digital media - an important conveyer of political, social, or cultural change. How is design a means of political and social communication?

We all know the obvious histories (Heartfield vs. Nazi propaganda, Polish poster vs. Communism, Florida ballots vs. basic information design 101, etc.) but what's the current day reality? and what can we say and do about it? Who is saying and doing anything about it?

In the First Things First manifesto it says : "To some extent we are all helping draft a reductive and immeasurably harmful code of public discourse.

"There are pursuits more worthy of our problem-solving skills. Unprecedented environmental, social and cultural crises demand our attention. Many cultural interventions, social marketing campaigns, books, magazines, exhibitions, educational tools, television programs, films, charitable causes and other information design projects urgently require our expertise and help....

"The scope of debate is shrinking; it must expand."

Join us.

Keep emails under a page. Stay on topic. No flaming. No SPAM. Please keep it civil, polite, and wait a day before you respond to what may or may not be a flame from someone.