Essay - Feminism and design

Social causes have played a part in preventing women from investing as much time and energy in their design work as men.
- discouraged from publishing
- establishing a reputation 
- contemporary criticism disputes women's capacity for creative 'genius'

Femininity
'Truly feminine combination of naivety and sophistication [...]. Such designs harbour a heartfelt joy in the liberation from all aspects of everyday logic, such as only a grown child can feel.' - Hans Hildebrandt, Die Fra als Künstlerin, 192, pg124

Feminine was seen to be a promotional value. Feminine as a description also limits:
- reduced to a specific character trait and not treated as truly equal
- women who strive for success will be influenced by the expectations and work may become stylistically 'feminine'

1950s 
Collaboration with the husband often resulted in the women taking on the more illustrative role - delicate lines and soft colours 

Ellen Lupton interview
What is feminism? Feminism acknowledges the past inequality of women and doesn't want it to continue into the future. The feminist design looks for graphic strategies that will enable us to listen to people who have not been heard from before. - enabling those voices to be heard 

Riot Grrrl - during the 3rd wave of feminism
Punk scene of the 90s, a movement that used art and music to show their ideas to the world - communicating from one woman to another. DIY philosophy = zines to communicate 
This allowed them to fight back against the mainstream media that wasn't portraying women in a positive/equal light. 

Kristina Ketola Bore
Her work investigates the social structures within and outside of design, in addition to participation and the role intersectionality and feminism can play in the design field. 
'I definitely believe graphic design inhabits possibilities to intervene, change or create...' - Nicole Killian 
This mid-century conviction that designers should be societally responsible emerged concurrently with the idea that design in changing society. 

Pussy Galore typeface by 'Women's Design + Research Unit' for the magazine FUSE.
FUSE by Neville Brody is a postmodern platform for experimental typeface, allowing the breaking of boundaries to portray strong and clear messages. 'This was an opportunity to raise awareness about women working in the profession whilst also critically engaging through an experimental typeface with the language used by, for, and against women.' - Triggs + Cook