Design Innovation
Gender Equality
The Brief: As a graphic designer we have a social responsibility and can choose to use our talent to communicate with and for others, questioning how graphic design can better inform and benefit society. This is a three week introductory live brief, set by the IOP (Institute of Physics). We are asked to produce an A2 poster to communicate a powerful message about gender imbalance and subject/career choice; the audience is aimed towards school children aged between 14–16, both male and female. Language and existing visual grammar systems can be gendered or sexist. It is the job as a graphic designer to reflect on these and challenge or subvert existing norms or propose new gender-neutral codes of communication.
The Aim: Before I started this brief I was aware of Gender Inequality in the work place, but what I didn’t realise is how many of us naturally stereotype the genders without thinking. I began by researching what products are typically separated by gender with the idea that I would try to subvert the connotations of such stereotypes. I was shocked to find so many, from children’s toys to adult’s toiletries, no wonder we naturally stereotype ourselves! I decided to focus on gender specific magazine covers and how they attract a certain sex. I was inspired by the famous men’s magazine, GQ, who publish a magazine every month and majority of their covers feature a successful male celebrity wearing a suit, who looks clean, wealthy and professional. However, in some copies they have featured a female celebrity, but they’re not portrayed in the same way. Rather than promoting them as successful business women, they are sexualised in some way shape or form. I found it quite shocking that each of these celebrities are just as successful as one another, who work just as hard, but they are portrayed in such different ways because of their gender.
The Outcome: My final outcome is a poster based on the design of a magazine cover, called ‘AMBITION’. The celebrity I chose to feature, is James Charles, a male make-up artist who became the very first male CoverGirl at just 17. James Charles is a hugely popular social media influencer who has created pretty much every makeup tutorial online. At such a young age, he has become successful and weathly from pursuing his passion. I want my target audience to understand they can achieve anything, regardless of their gender.
