Overpopulation —Growth in Infinite, but Resources are Finite
These two images, a poster and a billboard, were designed by Akil Simmons. His body copy says it all:
"Today’s global human population stands at 6.9 billion. Every day, the planet sees a net gain of roughly 250,000 people. The rising population growth is lessening our quality of life because it destroys resources, such as water, food and forests, which are needed to sustain our way of living."
Overpopulation is the most serious issue on the planet today as our resources are finite and we stand at the breaking point now. With well over 6 billion people alive today, it is predicted that we will reach 8 billion by 2020, with the United Nations predicting 8.9 billion in 2050. With life expectancy assumed to rise continuously, with no upper limit, who knows where the water and food resources will come from to care for this exploding population.
Child Soldiers — Send Your Child Early to War
Trevor Conrad developed a simple graphic campaign to raise awareness on child soldiers in the Chad Conflict, though this problem is all too pervasive in other countries around the world. In the accompanying brochure, Trevor states, "In the fall of 2006 both the government and rebels turned to the recruitment of children as a matter of military survival. Once recruited, child soldiers may serve as porters or cooks, guards, messengers or spies. Many are pressed into combat, where they may be forced to the front lines or sent into minefields ahead of older troops. Some children have been used for suicide missions. Human Rights Watch has observed the use of child soldiers in village-level self-defense forces and Sudanese rebel groups, both of which have received Chadian government support." His call to action was to ask readers to call and ask their respective Senators to pass S.1175 "which would make governments involved in the recruitment or use of child soldiers ineligible for some US military financing, training or arms transfers."
Female Genital Mutilation
These moving pieces by Thomas J O'Donnell nearly broke my heart. Predominantly practiced in northern Africa, FGM still also prevails in parts of the Middle East and Southeast Asia for cultural or religious reasons. Often the cutting is done by mother or relatives of the minor girl who have also experienced the cutting themselves. FGM involves partial or complete removal of the female external organs, almost always without anesthesia or sterile instruments. The World Health Organization estimates 100 to 140 million girls and women worldwide are currently living with the consequences of FGM, with 92 girls age 10 years and above.
I think TJ did a spectacular job of capturing the violence of this sensitive issue using actual razor blades and stitching with red yarn on fabric. They evoke a visceral reaction. TJ's now a Professor with me in Graphic Design at SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design, and a talented one at that! This campaign was done a few years ago when he was an online MFA student of mine in Social Awareness for Graphic Designers. We since wooed TJ and his talented photographer wife, Wendy, away from our mutual hometown, Washington DC.
I think TJ did a spectacular job of capturing the violence of this sensitive issue using actual razor blades and stitching with red yarn on fabric. They evoke a visceral reaction. TJ's now a Professor with me in Graphic Design at SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design, and a talented one at that! This campaign was done a few years ago when he was an online MFA student of mine in Social Awareness for Graphic Designers. We since wooed TJ and his talented photographer wife, Wendy, away from our mutual hometown, Washington DC.
Child Labor
I'm still trying to track down the name of the student who did this poster in October 2005 and didn't label her file properly. I do remember she was from El Salvador because she shocked the class by saying she felt forcing children into slave labor in Salvador had become culturally acceptable as a way to boost a family's income. Her body copy states, "250 million children are engaged in child labor around the world...and have to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child's education, or to be harmful to the child's health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development." Unicef states that "one in six children in the world between the ages of 5-14 are engaged in child labour." In Sub-Saharan Africa that number jumps to around one in three"
Doctors Without Borders
Brad Chunn and Lee Penland did this series of posters on Doctors Without Borders which is a superb medical and humanitarian organization that does amazing work in over 60 countries worldwide. There are geographic maps and subtle textures in the background which animate the aesthetics and engage the viewer further. I do think the campaign could be improved by making the color in the photography more consistent along with the column widths but the series is sensitively done and would gain attention.