In the past few years, the world has experienced rapid, destabilizing shifts that show no sign of slowing down. It’s highlighted the need for deep, systemic change to many aspects of everyday life, and design continues to be one of the most exciting ways to respond to this change.
In 2022, as the world entered the third year of the pandemic, PRINT launched a free-to-enter Citizen Design category to recognize the work and critical thinking that designers bring to issues of social justice, community intervention, sustainability, and human rights across issues and borders. This year, after witnessing the erosion of voting rights and democracy throughout the United States and around the world, the Citizen Design category will honor work designed to protect these critical freedoms for us all.
“2022 was a critical year for Democracy. Voting rights were— and continue to be— challenged. Design has a role to play— ensuring that citizens understand how and where to vote and how to participate in their democracies. The 2023 Citizen Design category is open to designers who have created print and online campaigns designed to protect freedom.” —Steve Heller, Editor-at-Large
We couldn’t be more excited to hear your stories! But before you enter, learn all about the fascinating backgrounds of the judges who will look at your work.
Allan Chochinov
Chair — SVA MFA Products of Design; Partner — Core77 Inc.
Allan Chochinov is a writer, educator, and critic passionate about the expansive potential of design. He’s a fixture at workshops and conferences dedicated to the medium and has spoken about the subject at a variety of storied institutions like the Yale School of Management, MIT, the Columbia School of Business, and Carnegie Mellon. Allan’s experience in education expands to New York’s School of Visual Arts, where he’s a founding chair of the Products of Design MFA graduate program. He’s also a partner of Core77, a design website dedicated to informing and connecting creatives around the world.
Louise Sandhaus
Co-Director and Founder — The People’s Graphic Design Archive
Louise Sandhaus has collected many hats in her career as a graphic designer, educator, and archivist. This expert on the design of her home state of California teaches at CalArts and wrote a book about the state’s visual culture entitled Earthquakes, Mudslides, Fires and Riots. She is also the founder and co-director of The People’s Graphic Design Archive, a crowd-sourced archive that aims to make design accessible and bolster its unsung heroes. Learn more about the project in our recent interview with Louise about what inspired the archive, her vision for its future, and how the public can support it.
Lisa Grant
Senior Project Manager — Wasserman
Lisa Grant is a brand fanatic and cultural anthropologist immensely curious about brands, consumer behavior, emerging trends, their collective points of intersection and how they are visually articulated. After serving as the Senior Project Manager at Pentagram NY, Lisa recently joined Wasserman, a culture-centric agency serving the best athletes, artists, brands & properties in the world. She and her expert team work to establish enduring connections between brands and audiences across sports, music, and entertainment.
Looking for inspiration? Last year, VICE Media took home First Place with Gender Spectrum, a gorgeous collection of stock photos that center the members of trans, non-binary, and gender nonconforming communities.
Do you think you’re our next Citizen Design winner? Step right up and try your luck as many times as you like! We can’t wait to see what you’ve got.