The iconic German design publisher Slanted have launched an ambitious project, a 1000-page-long poster book, featuring artworks submitted by designers from all around the world. All sales and proceeds will go towards humanitarian relief organisations working in areas of conflict.
In moments of global crisis, people often reflect internally questioning their role and whether they are able to help those directly affected by the events. When the on-going war in Ukraine first unfolded, the designers at Slanted collectively asked themselves:
“What is our work really good for?”
In an effort to unite the design community around this question, and offer support to the people of Ukraine, the team decided to launch Posters Can Help. The project invites creatives from all backgrounds and disciplines to contribute visual messages of solidarity, expressions of hope and calls for unity. Whether it’s your own poster, graphic design, artwork, illustration or photo, anyone can get involved.
how it works
All submissions to Posters Can Help will be included in a book which is set to be published in November 2022, meaning the deadline for submissions is the end of June 2022. A full-page poster in the book will require a € 100.– donation, while a smaller poster will require € 10.–. Slanted will then forward these donations, as well as all proceeds from global sales, directly to ARTHELPS and MSF—Médecins Sans Frontières, and contributors can decide how their donation is split between these organisations. The best part? There is no creative selection process — so the more posters submitted, the more money donated.
take a sneak peek at wdcd Live Amsterdam 2022
At What Design Can Do, we have always believed that creativity has a role to play in times of crisis. Through the act of making, we can envision better futures, communicate ideas, and even make them irresistible. It’s no surprise then, that we’ve teamed up with Slanted to bring this project to our upcoming festival in Amsterdam. On 3 June 2022, you can come explore an exhibition version of Posters Can Help at the Internationaal Theater Amsterdam. The interactive installation will feature a selection of posters exploring the links between graphic design, war and peace. To learn more about how you, too, can be a part of this communal project, click here.
All images courtesy of Slanted.