|
|
Co-design as a Tool for Consent Activism
This project was created as part of my coursework for my MFA in Design at the University of Notre Dame and displayed at the New Faces show. This is a co-designed campaign that blends the aesthetics of joy with graphic design to fuel activism. Through collaboration with participants from Goshen College’s Prevention Intervention Network (PIN), the campaign develops community-specific and empowering ways to promote a message of consent, aiming to dismantle rape culture. Using pinback buttons as the primary medium—along with stickers, door-hangers, and t-shirts—I research and experiment with how joy can build momentum, offer moments of respite, and spark new ways of envisioning the future.
FRAMINGThis project is focused on change-making and asks, “what if joy were treated as a tool to connect, energize, and empower movements?”
|
|
|
1. Aesthetics of Joy
Designer Ingrid Fetell Lee identified 10 aesthetics of joy—energy, abundance, freedom, harmony, play, surprise, transcendence, magic, celebration, and renewal—through research into the science of joy. These aesthetics offer a framework for crafting visual and experiential elements that evoke joy. In this project, they serve as inspiration for designing activist tools, helping communities intentionally integrate joy into their efforts to foster connection, resilience, and hope. Lee, Ingrid Fetell. 2018. Joyful. London, England: Rider. 
|
2. Protest Design
Art and design have always been powerful instruments for activism, challenging norms and driving cultural shifts. From the visual storytelling of the Civil Rights Movement to the bold typography of feminist zines, protest design captures the spirit of movements and communicates their demands. This project draws on this legacy, using co-designed visual elements like buttons, stickers, and t-shirts to amplify messages of consent and dismantle rape culture. 
|
3. Joy in Activism
Joy has long been a tool of resistance, offering not just catharsis but also sustaining energy for movements. By fostering community bonds and attracting new supporters, joy helps activists envision and work toward a more just and livable future. This project centers joy as a catalyst, exploring how it can empower advocates, create moments of respite, and inspire meaningful cultural change. 
|
CASE STUDY
How can I use co-design to create joyful activist design?
I applied co-design principles to collaborate with a student activist community, using them as a case study. Through two workshops, we co-designed joyful activist solutions. Insights from the first workshop informed a taxonomy to help the community intentionally incorporate joy into their activism.
|
INSPIRATION
"Doing and making are acts of hope." Corita Kent I was inspired by the teaching ethos of Sister Corita Kent, who embodies all the tenets of this project as a art teacher, joyous revolutionary, graphic designer and community organizer. In an interview with Nellie Scott, executive director of the Corita Art Center, I asked her how Corita might have structured a co-design workshop. “She used constraints in her teaching. She believed to give the students total freedom was to do them a disservice. She had her students react to a structure, and gave them stair-steps in a process that aimed to rid them of their preconceived notions.” METHOD
Workshops with Goshen College Prevention Intervention Network I had connections to a group of students at my undergraduate alma mater who lead trainings to help to educate their peers on becoming empowered to be active bystanders and create a community of students that are preventing sexual violence. I facilitated two workshops over the semester, one for brainstorming and one for making. Goals
KEY INSIGHT
The teacup as consent A recurring visual that came up in the initial brainstorm with the students was a teacup. The peer educators show an educational video in their training of all first years that uses a cup of tea as a metaphor for sex to help explain consent. The video uses gentle humour to highlight the absurdity of expecting someone to have sex just because they agree to go on a date like how if you make someone a cup of tea and they decide not to drink it you wouldn’t pour down their throat, for example. While not a perfect allegory—it does not encompass power or cultural dynamics—it does assist the students in their training by breaking down consent in simple terms.
|
Copyright ©2015 Emmeline May and Blue Seat Studios
|
DESIGN RATIONALE
How to Evoke Joy Visually
Why Buttons?
Buttons are accessible With a rich history dating back to the abolitionist movement, buttons have long been used to amplify social justice messages. Their affordability and ease of production make them effective and inclusive tools for activism today, encouraging participation and dialogue. Buttons are personal Wearing a button is a deliberate act of self-expression. It invites conversation and creates opportunities for individuals to share their values and connect with others on important issues. Buttons allow people to express their power emotions in a playful, approachable way. Buttons are powerful Buttons extend messages beyond rallies or events, reaching people in their daily routines. They invite connection by sparking conversations. Douglas Crimp, an art historian and AIDS activist, writes that the Silence=Death buttons invited inquiry, encouraging “small, everyday direct actions.” Crimp, Douglas. AIDS Demo Graphics. Seattle: Bay Press, 1990. |
Why this Palette?
Branding is key The PIN activist group of my case study uses teal and purple in their branding because they represent domestic and sexual violence awareness. Incorporating their established colors ensures consistency, reinforces recognition, and builds trust, allowing the campaign to seamlessly integrate with their ongoing efforts. Energy & abundance Bright, varied colors evoke energy and multiplicity, reflecting joy as a powerful force for change. This palette counters the scarcity and fear associated with oppression, instead celebrating abundance and hope as tools of resistance. Why These Typefaces? Playful with purpose BD Supper and Tuppence balance playfulness with purpose. BD Supper’s bold, hand-drawn aesthetic grabs attention and conveys energy, while Tuppence’s whimsical, vintage-inspired style adds charm and warmth. Together, they align with the project’s themes of joy and activism, creating an approachable yet impactful visual language that resonates with the audience. |
Why These Graphics?
Play Play taps into our natural, effortless sources of joy, fostering a sense of connection and lightheartedness—key to sustaining activism. Rounded shapes and playful forms invite curiosity and engagement, making activist messages more approachable and inviting, especially for a community-focused project like this one. Renewal Activism is an ongoing journey that requires moments of renewal to maintain energy and hope. Graphics inspired by blossoming shapes, spirals, and curves symbolize growth, potential, and the cyclical nature of joy, reinforcing the idea that joy can sustain movements and inspire change over time. Celebration Celebration embodies collective joy, strengthening bonds and amplifying a shared message. Firework-like bursts, sparkling lights, and rhythmic visuals evoke festivity and unity, encouraging participants to embrace and share their message of consent with pride and optimism. These elements transform the campaign into a vibrant, empowering experience. |
Joyful Toolkit
I designed a toolkit featuring custom stamps, ink, and button templates to empower the PIN students to create their own buttons.
|
This approach achieves these key goals:
Consistency The kit ensures consistency across all buttons, reinforcing PIN’s brand recognition. User-friendly The kit provides a user-friendly process that fosters confidence and success regardless of skill level. Creativity The kit encourages creativity to thrive within a low-pressure, supportive workshop environment. Versatility The stamp set and inks are especially versatile, allowing for open-ended use to craft countless designs—ranging from teacup motifs to abstract compositions, as demonstrated here. Economic The kit can be used over and over again; the students are able to create beautiful branded buttons without the need for a professional designer in years to come. Joyful The experience of creating the buttons together is enriching, fun and joyful. |
|
|
|
|
Campaign Proliferation
|
|
Using the same creative constraints as the students — a set of illustrations, a distinct color palette and typography — I crafted a variety of pieces to demonstrate how this campaign could translate across mediums. I focused on “wearable” pieces that could easily permeate the campus through the PIN students, like buttons, t-shirts and stickers. I also included a series of door hangers which places the messaging very close to where assaults could be happening. These consistent visuals demonstrate how the toolkit could be used analog—like with the stamped buttons—or digitally, with production outsourced.
|
