Design for Social Inclusion

Yadira Ornelas* Judith Gregory**

Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago, USA
*[email protected],
**[email protected]

Abstract: Globalization redesigns society. It creates economic, environmental, social and cultural
imbalances that have proven too sudden and complex to resolve with prevailing logic. In the
ongoing discourse, economic and environmental aspects have been privileged over the social and
cultural effects of globalization. This presents opportunities for addressing and enhancing social
equity and sustainability through design. Placing design for social inclusion as the object of
research is undertaken as part of the first author’s doctoral research and as an extension of the
social inclusion research experience of the second author . The exploratory research inquiry
discussed in this paper seeks to provide a frame of reference concerning design for social
inclusion, by focusing on the impact of culture in relation to communication and information
design in public health campaigns oriented to women living in multicultural societies. This inquiry
is inspired by previous research projects in the area of social inclusion by design. A visual
communication project developed for deaf children [12] is the seed for this interest in the impact
of design related to vulnerable groups. Although a number of designers have successfully
constituted sustainable projects, the vast majority of people on the fringes of society in all regions
of the world remain under -served by design. W e argue that a better understanding of design for
social inclusion, its relevance and its challenge s is urgent to encourage design practitioners,
thinkers and educators to address the necessity of design projects that foster the inclusion of
marginalized and under-valued populations into more equitable and sustainable futures.
Key words: social inclusion, design, culture, sustainability.

Introduction
The First Things First 1964 manifesto written by Ken Garland urged communication designers to reflect on the
value and consequences of their practice [7]. The manifesto did not advocate the discontinuation of
consumption-led design, considering this unfeasible; ho wever, it was a call to graphic designers to design for
more humanist dimensions and use their skills for endeavors that would improve daily life. The manifesto was
revived as First Things First 2000 to cast light once again on how visual communication is being used in service
to mass consumption and to rally communication designers to attend to pressing environmental, social and

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cultural matters. First Things First 2000 has been signed by numerous graphic designers, art directors and visual
communicators [7].

From Garland’s manifesto to the contemporary field of sustainability , designers have been concerned not only
with improving design praxis but also with enhancing the life of those directly affected by their designs. The
juncture of communication, information and visual design and design for social inclusion is still relatively new .
Design for social inclusion has the distinct intention to engage those involved not only in exercising creative
power but also in gaining a sense of independence and the opportunity for a more dignified way of life.

Inspired by Inclusive Design approaches that foster responsibility to include previously excluded users (see Lee
& Cassim 2009, in this volume [8]), design for social inclusion recognizes the need for co-design with people
from marginalized segments of the population, as 'design partners' in ef forts to create environmental, cultural,
economic and social sustainability. Design for social inclusion is about tapping into the richness of communities
and the use of local resources in conjunction with entrepreneurial activity and industry to develop products and
services that are intrinsically related to social and cultural contexts while also viable and relevant in national and
international arenas. Designed artifacts that reflect how people have shaped them also offer tangible possibilities
of independence and a sustainable future.

In his essay, 'Design as Practice, Science and Research' [14], Beat Schneider describes fields of activity of
future-oriented design. He argues that visual communication designers have the potential to transform design
from a market tool to a democratizing agent.

Design Field Fields of Activity Examples

Social Design Inclusion design, Inclusive Design Challenge [8]

participatory design collaborations Design and Craft projects [4]

Scientific-Technical Information design, Healthcare information,wellness

and Didactic knowledge visualization self-knowledge
Communication Design Sustainable Design Education [2]

Culturally Sensitive Design Universal Design, Creative Tourism

Multi-cultural communication Experience Project [11]

Table 1. Visual Communication Design and Future-oriented Fields of Activity.

This table takes inspiration from Beat Schneider’s discussion of fields of activity of future-oriented design [14].

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The areas shown in T able 1 are certainly not exclusive of each other. Reflective design practice concerned with
the transdisciplinary relationships and transnational interconnections amongst them could become a pathway for
systematic research that fosters social and sustainable innovation in the field of visual communication. “Inherent
in the discipline of graphic design is a historically untapped potential to empower the audience to actively bring
about change through their own effort and their own ideas or concepts. In this unorthodox context, the audience
rather than the graphic designer dictates which ideas reach fruition and potentially in which form(s) they do so”
[1]. As Forlizzi and Lebbon [6] state: “the practice, processes, and methods for conducting user research in
communication design are in their infancy, and there are a myriad of ways to talk about conducting research and
applying subsequent findings.”

This doctoral research focuses on the effects of visual, communication and information design in relation to
social and cultural aspects of marginalized groups living in a multicultural society , by examining the iconicity
and texts of public health campaigns directed toward women of two dif ferent cultural groups in the same urban
context. The empirical research takes a contextual approach towards documentation and analysis of women's
interpretive interactions with visual communication related to health literacy and self-knowledge, for example
for breast cancer prevention and treatment. Special attention will be given to understanding unintended effects of
social and cultural exclusion that may inadvertently result from such 'mainstream' information outreach when
perceived by women from mar ginalized communities. Imagery and texts are polysemous. As McCoy writes:
“Imagery is difficult to control, even dangerous or controversial—often leading to unintended personal
interpretation on the part of the audience—but also poetic, powerful, and potentially eloquent” [10]. Bourdieu's
writings on power, social silences and 'the logic of practice' of fer theoretical starting points [3]. The interaction
of visual communication, culture and society with an emphasis on design as a catalyst for change, sets the
context in which this research will take place.
The doctoral research is in its early stage. Initial research questions are:

• How is visual language --both textual and iconic-- used in healthcare information?
• How does gender-inspired healthcare information that is meant to be universal take cultural sensitivities
into consideration?
• Does visual language in the healthcare arena have unintentional alienation ef fects on some women to
whom the information is addressed?

Culture and Language

Language does not equal culture. Designers need to be culturally aware to understand and respect the differences
in ideas, traditions, behaviors, beliefs and lifestyles not only between one culture and another but from one
region or one locality to another. “Simply translating a commercial, ignoring cultural relevance in a marketing
message, or foregoing research with Hispanics may save time and money in the short term, but long-term
competitive advantages comes from research that illuminates key cultural dif ferences” [13]. Disregarding the
codes of 'micro-cultures’ for communication can exclude groups from the af fordances needed to transform
information into knowledge.

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Language is not the only issue regarding design problems when interacting with other cultures. Images also play
a pivotal role in making meaning of a message, when they succeed in situating the intended recipients in a
familiar context. Nonetheless, designers cannot focus only on the word-image duopoly that has historically
determined visual communications. Media used to deliver messages are part of the context and need to be
selected based on understandings of cultural modes of communication. Rather than relying only on the printed
word and multi-media broadcasting, delivering information through a variety of culturally attuned channels such
as oral storytelling, theater, dance or marionettes, can result in meaningful messages. Designers and their design
partners require a profound understanding of a cultural group as a prerequisite to selecting the appropriate words,
images and communication media that a specific audience needs to transform information into knowledge.

Design
“Design is a discipline that has room for a depth and breadth of practice and education beyond what is
acknowledged by most designers and by society at lar ge” [5]. From an inclusive design vantage point, designers
need to support the creative process, adding value to the collaborative ef fort (see Miettinen 2009, in this volume
[11]). Relinquishing control of the process may signify compromises at times but these may be necessary to
establish reciprocal connections between designers and communities to understand what each other has to offer
and translate information, images and other materials into meaningful communicative artifacts. “In this new
environment of diffuse creativity, designers have to learn how actively and positively to participate in the social
processes where new and, hopefully, promising ideas are emerging” [9; see Dib 2009, in this volume [4]].

“The age of sustainability will give designers a chance to spread their wings at last. No longer relegated to
making products merely profitable and appealing, they’ll be inspired to imagine the future” [15]. Unfortunately
the skills needed for the challenges of sustainability are not commonly taught in design schools (see Bould 2009,
in this volume [2]). Some designers have long fought for our field to become a more humane discipline, a field
that is more connected to the necessities of mar ginalized communities and that looks to improve the quality of
life of groups often for gotten. We stand with the opportunity to make a dif ference on our shoulders. The First
Things First 2000 manifesto ends with a bold sentence: “Consumerism is running uncontested; it must be
challenged by other perspectives expressed, in part, through the visual languages and resources of design” [7].
People, places, products and processes transformed by social designers are solid evidence of dif ferent
perspectives successfully challenging consumerism through design.

References and Citations

[1] Bennett, A., Eglash, R., Krishnamoorthy, M., and Rarieya, M. (2006). Audience as Co-Designer. In: Bennett,
A. and S. Heller (eds.), Design Studies: Theory and Research in Graphic Design. Princeton Architectural Press,
New York, p. 180.

[2] Bould, N. (2009). Sustainable Design Education in New Zealand. In: Online Proceedings of IASDR 2009.
KAIST, Seoul.

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[3] Bourdieu, P. (1990). The Logic of Practice. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA.

[4] Dib, P. (2009). Design as a Tool for Local Transformation. In: Online Proceedings of IASDR 2009. KAIST,
Seoul.

[5] Donahue, S. (2003). Enabling Design. In: Laurel, B. (ed.), Design Research: Methods and Perspectives. The
MIT Press, Cambridge, p. 171.

[6] Forlizzi J. and Lebbon C. (2006). From Formalism to Social Significance in Communication Design. In:
Design Studies: Theory and Research in Graphic Design. Bennett A. and S. Heller (eds.), Princeton Architectural
Press, New York, p. 55.

[7] Garland, K. (1964). First Things First 2000 - First Things First 1964, IDIE for Change, Innovation and
Design for Information Empowerment website: FTF2000 http://idie.enclavexquise.com/ftf2000-1964.html
[Accessed May 22, 2009]

[8] Lee, Y. and Cassim, J. (2009). How the Inclusive Design Process Enables Social Inclusion. In: Online
Proceedings of IASDR 2009. KAIST, Seoul.

[9] Manzini, E. (2007). Design Research for Sustainable Social Innovation. In: Ralf, M. (ed.), Design Research
Now: Essays and Selected Projects. Birkhauser, Basel, p. 243.

[10] McCoy, K. (2003). Good Citizenship: Design as a Social and Political Force. In: Heller, S. and V. Vienne,
(eds.), Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility. Allworth Press, New York, p. 5.

[11] Miettinen, S. (2009). Prototyping Social Design in Finland and Namibia: Service Design as a Method for
Designing Services for Well-being. In: Online Proceedings of IASDR 2009. KAIST, Seoul.
[12] Ornelas, E. and Perez, M. (2007). Talk With Your Hands: Tools to Reduce the Communication Gap
between Hearing Impaired Children and their Families. In: Online Proceedings of INCLUDE 2007. RCA,
London.

[13] Santos, C. (2003). Hispanic Culture in Design Research. In: Laurel, B. (ed.), Design Research: Methods and
Perspectives. The MIT Press, Cambridge, p. 62.

[14] Schneider, B. (2007). Design as Practice, Science and Research. In: Ralf, M. (ed.), Design Research Now:
Essays and Selected Projects. Birkhauser, Basel, p. 209.

[15] Vienne, V. (2003). In a Continuous State of Becoming: Design Responsibility Tomorrow. In: Heller, S. and
Vienne, V. (eds.), Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility. Allworth Press, New York, p. 245.

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