"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world"
- universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations General Assembly, Paris, 1948
The urban world we live in today is a blitzkrieg of information. The internet has revolutionized the concept of access to knowledge. Every individual with a basic amount of privilege is able to attain exposure to infinite narratives that define or distort our collective perception of the world of today. In this storm of human consciousness, we set out to tune out the static and listen in on the dismal song that has been sung time and over: What does it mean to be a human?
Taking five fundamental declarations of human rights, vis a vis, Right to Freedom, Right to Identity, Right to Expression, Right to Privacy and Right to Education, we explore the broad ranges of spectrums of how these rights contextualize our human existence. Design, being one medium of a creative visual language for self-expression and critique, we explore and experiment upon our own comprehension, of the impact of the presence or absence of these rights in the expanse of this world, beyond our own.
"Too Human to be Right" as a book, is our concept, experimented and exercised through graphic design, as a purely academic endeavor. Compiled largely of the declining art poster design, we have visually explored our own interpretations of these rights, through posters, manifestos, narrative accordion formats. We explored the medium of packaging design and advertising, as a conceptual commentary to imagine, what if some of the most basic elements of human life were to be commodified and sold. Our self-portraits are our design narratives, that speak on behalf of us.
