Designing for a social change, especially as a student, is biting off more than you can chew. In the four odd weeks of this course, we could see what felt like the tip of the iceberg.
Designing for a social change required first knowing what constitutes a social issue and what needs to change. Numerous debates, discussions, and more formalised discourses were held, and the first, most obvious ideas led us to connecting seconds and thirds. This led us to a list of 100+ seemingly genuine societal challenges on which a change may be pushed towards.
Ctrl + A as a project may be separated into three major parts: research, engagement, and implementation.
One's identity is a constantly expanding and evolving spectrum. To understand it within a specific context means to first understand its status quo amongst the stakeholders. The primary research conducted achieved just about that. Through anonymous “identity brews” that let you graph out what your identity is made up of and through “Let’s talk over Chai!”—consciously constructed conversations between two randomized people as an activity—the primary research gave insight into what the climate was in an institutional context.
The following phase of the project entailed community engagement. To determine if a concept is workable or not, community interaction, consisting of your primary stakeholders, is crucial to bring things into a more realistic and attainable perspective.
'PRIDE DAY,' a one-time public discursive space, was designed to encourage individuals to interact with identity as a personal, societal, and community-driven idea in a secure and judgment-free environment. Recreating the pride flag served as a visceral connection to one's identity, making individuals feel closer and more comfortable participating in such activities.
Free stickers were handed out at the conclusion as a symbol of participation.
Ctrl + A was launched as a brand for a concept collective thereafter. While it is difficult to predict the long-term viability of such a collective, a start was made by launching it, which included basic graphic assets and a prototype student body structure for future operations and expansion.
After a few weeks of gathering research and engagement materials, this concept collective came to life as a handcrafted, distributed newsletter-zine full of facts, figures, and thoughts about identity both globally and inside DJAD's bounds.