Entitled CommUNITY, San Francisco Design Week 2019 is celebrating this concept of unity. For the opening gala night, we, alongside a select group of designers from around the globe, were asked to produce a poster that responds to the brief of 'Communicating Unity.' The works were auctioned in a silent auction at a gala, with proceeds benefiting San Francisco Design Week.
Lundgren+Lindqvist's contribution takes visual cues from the impactful posters and placards seen at protest rallies and manifestations. The pairing of yellow and black borrows from the visual vocabulary of warning signs, alerting the viewer of the gravity of our current situation.
The bold letters calling for unity are superimposed with the 'Raised Fist' – a symbol of solidarity and support. Ambiguously, the symbol was first used as a logotype by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in 1917. With industrialisation being the primary factor causing climate change and global warming, the symbol on one hand represents a plea for forceful action, while, by fractioning the underlaying letterforms, indicating that the situation was caused by our own hands.
'Think globally, unite locally' is a rewording of the phrase 'Think globally, act locally' urging people to consider the health of the planet and take action in their communities and cities. In a time when the effects of our destructive impact on the planet is becoming increasingly evident, we need to unite and take action. It is time to unite for the sake of our planet.
