No matter your politics, now is a time that demands renewed civic engagement... We must take direct action to improve our communities and our country.
The 2017 Citizen Designer Pledge, started by AIGA/NY, was recently posted to Medium by Cliff Kuang. It was posted because design is political. For individuals, it asks:
- Voting in every local election open to us, not just once every four years — while encouraging our friends and family to do the same
- Choosing at least one cause to focus on for learning, knowledge-sharing, and volunteering
- Meeting with fellow Citizen Designers to share stories, tools, learnings, and new action items at least once a quarter
- Attending a local governance session once a quarter
I signed it. I signed it because designers need to act. Because designers need to standup to the universal values we hold dear. Which, the pledge points out, are politicized — transparency, inclusion, and fairness. I’ll add open-mindedness, creativity, and thinking critically. I’ll add believing we can solve problems when we work together, believing everyone should have a voice, and believing that our differences should be celebrated. And I’ll add a firm rejection of intolerance, hubris, dishonesty, chauvinism, hate, and fear.
It’s time to improve our social fabric:
