This thesis investigation was prompted by a quote by writer, graphic designer, publisher, and cultural historian Clara Balaguer: “Challenge yourself to dismantle what the (Ivy League) man has told you is ugly, uncouth, primitive, savage.” This project stems from complacency, colonization, inaccessibility, and the notion of beauty within the graphic design world, questioning the modern womxn’s* place within it. The project draws connections between patriarchal influence on the modern womxn and regulated, colonized design education.
The project is composed of three parts: 1) a visual tracing of the project, 2) a socially engaged art practice, and 3) a curated manifesto. The overall project uses a lens of antidesign to reject complacency within this framework through visual methods such as unreadable & outdated typography, DIY production methods, and breaking the grid. The project ultimately makes a statement on the modern womxn’s place within a colonized, narrow world, rejecting what they have been taught, redefining beauty standards, and dismantling what the Ivy League man has taught them is ugly.
