After several years in the works I am extremely pleased that my book on socially conscious design, The Design Activist’s Handbook, has been published by How Books!
Co-authored by Michelle Taute, this book is an a practical guide to making a living while living by your ethical principles. It’s based on my own experience running a socially conscious design firm since 2001 and teaching Design Rebels: Socially Conscious Design in Theory and Practice since 2003 for the Graphic Design Department of Virginia Commonwealth University.
From the back cover:
“Where was this book when I was starting my career?” – John Bielenberg of Project M/Future
We want you! Will you join the ranks of design activists?
Doing good is too important to think of as work better left to those fictitious “other” designers. People more famous. More talented. More connected. Richer. Younger. Braver. (Insert your own mental roadblock here.) In truth, anyone can be a design activist.
It just starts with a commitment to yourself and your values. A commitment to making conscious choices and realizing how all the decisions you make as a graphic designer affect other people and the planet. It’s about being awake instead of sliding by with the way things have always been done.
This book is for every graphic designer who’s ever sat at a computer, thinking: Is this it? Isn’t there more? It’s a tool to help you figure out how to start making a difference and making a living at the same time – no matter where you live and work right now.
Just open this book and we’ll help you start walking in the right direction. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Little actions from a lot of people add up to big change. This isn’t a contest about who’s the greenest or the most radical. It’s a movement, and we’re inviting you to join right now.
The book even features a die-cut stencil so you can proclaim your status as a design activist right away!
The book can be found at your local independent bookstore or online through your preferred retailer including MyDesignShop, Powell’s, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
You can also hear an overview of the book in this online talk I gave for How…