Welcome to the dialogue: Design and Social Change

Hello,

My name is Benjamin Carlson. I am a designer in the Bay Area
exploring a designer's role in creating social change. I started this
blog to create a public conversation around this issue. I am inviting
creative people of all sorts to join in the conversation as well
as people working in areas of social change, ie community members,
nonprofits, mentors etc. ( I use the term designer to include people
who create with intention and for the purpose of communicating
to others.)

I am currently working on a website that will be a resource to connect
those with creative, artistic and design skills to those working for
social change. It's called Visible exchange and this is the idea:

I believe design can be used effectively as a creative problem-solving
tool in collaboration with other disciplines. I intend to show
the possibility for designer to maximize their function as strategists
working in areas of social change. I believe this can be achieved
by better connecting designers with beneficial organizations and
their communities.

Through collaboration and discourse Visible exchange will provide
greater visibility for those creating and those in need. I believe visual
communication can empower people and this type of cooperation
can generate great momentum. On the future site you will find a
community of people who believe in this cooperative strategy, and
examples of their work to show for it.

For now I wanted open a dialog up to the community. Feel free
to post your current projects, your involvement in social change,
and ideas you may have regarding this topic. I will soon post my current
work and ideas regarding the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

Peace,
Benjamin Carlson