Before moving to New York to pursue my undergraduate degree at Parsons, I was much less socially aware of the political landscape in which we live in. Watching the US presidential campaign unfold right in front of me for the first time, I was deeply motivated by the rising women’s rights movements that surfaced, including the magnificent Women’s March on January 21, 2017, as well as the viral resurgence of #MeToo later that year. Then in summer 2018, I joined a local nonprofit as a designer, where I crafted work that aimed to empower women to become social change agents through leadership training, community service, and transformative work. In result, for my senior thesis project I decided to produce an illustrated book visualizing statistical research, gathered from global databases and reliable organizations, about girls and women around the world. Its aim is to inform readers of facts about women — under the themes of health, education, workplace, and body image — through infographics, as well as empower readers through illustrated quotes by iconic female figures.
An interactive book as well, a journaling aspect is introduced to help open up dialogues by enabling readers to fill in answers of their own, in addition to graphics and poster-type illustrations (within the themes listed above) that are to be printed on sticker paper, and original postcard pages that are to be torn from the book and sent to loved ones. These physical elements play a vital role in manifesting change and inspiring to readers to not only engage with the importance of women’s rights and gender equality, but also help spread awareness themselves by taking action with the physical elements of the book, and placing them into a public space.
While the book is intended to inspire all, its main target audience begins at seven to eight years old. I believe that while children might not have the cognitive ability to understand our complex political system, they are very much aware of issues of justice and fairness, and are able to readily absorb our views on democracy, political activism, and social justice. Without the often-times difficult verbal conversation starter, this book offers a completely visual approach by using energetic and colourful graphics to invite fun and lightheartedness, while still being informative.