The Alumni Relations wing under the Department of Strategic Engagement at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) – a Qatar Foundation (QF) partner university – recently organized a workshop and presentation on design journalism, activism and storytelling at its campus.
Held on November 6 and 7 respectively, the workshop and presentation were led by Pakistan-based Hazem Asif, an alumnus who holds a BFA in Graphic Design and MFA in Design from VCUarts Qatar.
The title of the presentation was “The Power of Illustration: Storytelling, Design Journalism and Activism” while the workshop focused on “Art for Activism: A Poster Design Lab”.
In his presentation, Asif shared his journey and experience of researching and designing for various international organizations such as Google, Harper Collins, Bloomsbury, Zee5, Walker Books, The Lancet HIV and Al Jazeera Media Network.
During the workshop, participants crafted activism-inspired posters focusing on a topic of their choosing. At the end of the workshop, each participant/group shared a brief presentation on their poster and the inspiration driving it. Participants also discussed the potential real-world impact and reach of these posters.
The internationally recognized illustrator, designer, and social design activist explained more about the convergence of design and journalism, and his approach to it.
“Briefs and features in newspapers – be they print or digital – can often be dull or feel distant to the reader. You’ll notice this as you scroll through digital news platforms; news features, with their read-through links and prompts, seem to dissolve into one another. This set me thinking – ‘What if I took a 500-word news feature and turned it into a design?’. And that’s where it started.
“When you look at the visuals or posters I design, you see the summary and the details of the topic covered, all in one single image. And because it’s a unique design, it lingers on in your mind, overtly or subconsciously, inspiring you to research or discuss the topic further. This is where I feel design can help journalists share facts, be impartial, tell stories accurately and make sure the correct message reaches the right audience.
“I need to emphasize something – this is not me being a journalist. This is taking the writing and research done by journalists on a topic and transforming it into an image that has the capacity to make a reader pause for thought. For instance, when I was designing for the Lancet HIV, I had to do a considerable bit of research into the literature already out there. Of course, the topic was deep and detailed. Some would call the topic of HIV dark! This gave me room to experiment with the opposite – simplicity in messaging, using bold colors and strong contours.
“On that note, I need to point out that one does need to be an avid reader to do design journalism because you need to cross-check information and verify the credibility of sources etc. It’s not something you do to vent your feelings about a social cause or concern. The image should be truthful. I’m a bookworm who loves researching topics – be it on science or society. Hence it wasn’t an issue for me!”
In his personal art and design research practice, Asif explores speculative design, world-building and design fiction, aiming to envision new futures with social and political significance through design-inspired activism. His focus lies in design that effectively addresses historical, political, and social issues, crafting creative and meaningful design narratives.
Asif has worked with internationally renowned entities such as Google, Harper Collins, Bloomsbury, Zee5, Walker Books, The Lancet HIV, Al Jazeera Media Network, Doha Film Institute, and Qatar Foundation.
On December 24, 2021, a doodle created by Asif welcomed viewers to the landing page of Google. He designed the artwork for Google to mark the 71st birthday of Moin Akhtar, who is one of Pakistan’s most loved actors, comedians and entertainers.
Source and cover image credit: Press release
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