Patrick Thomas on Design Activism at Design Indaba
During the anniversary of Design Indaba, British graphic designer Patrick Thomas presented a lecture focused on design activism. He highlighted the role of graphic design as a means of social commentary and a tool for engaging in social movements amid a landscape characterized by protests, misinformation, and evolving political contexts. Thomas showcased his 'Protest Stencil Toolkit,' a set of reusable graphics intended for activists and the general public, reflecting his view that design should be both accessible and democratic. Additionally, he unveiled Open Collab 2.0, a platform for real-time interdisciplinary collaboration, developed with South African design students prior to the conference, aimed at exploring collective authorship and crowd-sourced visual mapping.
Key facts
- Patrick Thomas is a British-born graphic artist.
- He spoke at Design Indaba's anniversary.
- His talk focused on design activism.
- He created the 'Protest Stencil Toolkit'.
- The toolkit is a collection of reusable protest graphics.
- He introduced Open Collab 2.0, an online collaboration platform.
- Open Collab 2.0 was tested with South African design students.
- The platform enables real-time collaboration across disciplines.
Entities
Artists
- Patrick Thomas
Institutions
- Design Indaba
Locations
- South Africa