By Urooj Ali
Once upon a time, the activist in all of us was bright eyed and ready to read thousands of pages of critical theory and apply that knowledge to tangible change. Unfortunately, the real world dampened that passion and burned out the activist in us all. Perhaps the introduction of digital media and visual communication reinvigorated the little fighter who could in all of us.
The “cute cat” theory developed by Ethan Zuckerman makes the case that most people aren’t interested in activism, rather they are on social media platforms for their mundane interests. Therefore, when platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, and Tiktok are used for activism, they are sort of immune to censorship. If the platform were to shut down, even the cute cat enthusiasts would become activists for their right to expression and access to cute cats. This cover allows activists to use visual communication to enhance their movements and strive for social change.
The use of social media is one thing, it is merely a platform of conversation between you and another person. The visual components of what you post are by far more important than anything else. Figure 1 and 2 show the stark differences between visual thinking and creating a social media post.
Figure 1: Early Voting post created by Urooj Ali for Georgia Muslim Voter Project
Figure 2: Canva template with Get-Out-the-vote messaging
Figure 1 clearly depicts the thought that went into creating this design. The composition of the graphic is balanced, the colors are attractive, the use of layering and texture is visible as well. This is a post that will make some stop and do a double take while doom scrolling. Conversely, the canva template depicts voting, but it is not engaging for the viewer at all. Specifically, the colors are not saturated, and the text is not presented as a unit. As a reader, I am placing unnecessary pause between “counts” and “every vote.” Plus, the typeface used for “don’t waste your right to vote” is difficult to read and not eye-catching.
Seeing the immense difference between these two graphics that are trying to get the same message across highlights the importance of visual thinking in the age of social media. A large component of design is sharing information in a way that is attractive and can evoke feeling and action. Figure 1 is appealing to their audience by using elements of design like color, texture, space, value, and line to their advantage. Figure 2 used the elements of design, but it doesn’t look intentional. These elements look haphazardly added to the design.
Visual thinking is a tool, but also a mindset. As a graphic designer, content specialist, and activist, I am always visually thinking. My goal is to drive my audience to engage and take action, and they will not do that if the design in front of them is not visually appealing. It is important to also realize that your audience is cosigning your posts when they like, comment, or share. Therefore, they will not engage with something lackluster misaligned with their personal design style. In order to effectively engage with the audience in the digital space, we must be visual thinkers, because reading is out and viewing is in.
