Social Distancing, Graphic Design, and Supporting the Cause

Strange times, are these not? I hope this playful display of typography will help crack a few smiles as we all process, worry, and contemplate.

I'm fortunate to operate out of my home. "Business as usual" is a phrase that can actually apply. Many clients and friends don't have this luxury, and are therefore facing some truly foreboding circumstances. As a part-time musician, I'm getting a taste of it. Bookings cancelled left and right. Income I was depending on, evaporated overnight. I have many hardworking and talented friends who depend on Charleston's vibrant musical ecosystem as their sole source of income. And now we're dealt this, a crippling work stoppage for which there is no quick fix.

As heroic medical professionals spring to action the world over, it's hard not to consider: "What difference do I, a graphic designer, make?" As David Carson famously said, "Graphic design will save the world right after rock and roll does." I love this quote because it's laced with self awareness (and a little self deprecation), but actually does make a point. Just like a great song can serve to inspire change or motivate people, a powerful design can be a spark. It can lead you to pick up a life-changing book, or guide your eye to the phone number on a crisis hotline poster. It can just make you smile about something in a time like this when bad news is so plentiful.

At its core, graphic design is about providing support. Project support, sure, but I'm talking about being the means to a greater end. It's about supporting positive change, positive behaviors, positive moments. Positive feelings. Great design make these things easier to grasp. I hope I have the opportunity to contribute to that as we contend with this outbreak.

Really though, I'm wishing everyone out there the best. As has become the prevailing rally cry: we will get through it together. Hunker down, wash your hands, and let me know if you need anything!

- George