Critical Engagement Thesis, 2002

In 2002, I wrote and designed this extended essay as part of my Graduate Certificate Degree at Concordia University. Taking cues from literary criticism and political economy, it addresses the interrelation of formal strategies in (graphic) design and their socio-cultural implications, casting a critical eye on design’s central role in fostering a harmful, commodity-based culture.

Part academic thesis, part manifesto, and part design/art book, Critical Engagement represents my first real foray into social design practice (can I say “praxis” without sounding pompous?). With five years hindsight, I can see some of the naivety of my assumptions, and chuckle at the overarching scope of my idealism, yet I feel the basic principles are still sound and the ideas behind them are all the more necessary…

During the research phase of this project, I developed a short Flash animation entitled Warover in order to present my concept to my tutors. It turned out that this animation worked very well in its own right, and it was featured on numerous design/art/political websites and was even screened on national television (on CBC’s ZeD). Check it out here.

You can download a pdf of the complete thesis here. (12.1 mb)