Women and design
With the influence from the patriarchal society, women were devalued and their voices could not be heard. As well as in the design world, women have been involved in it in a variety of ways – as practitioner, theorists, consumers, historians, and as objects of representation. However, throughout the design history, the value of female designers or their work was not recognized. [1] Since 1970s, female graphic design graduates have consistently comprised over 50 per cent of the total number of graphic design graduates. But only not long ago, the Australian Graphic Design Association’s (AGDA) hall of fame has included the only one woman, Dahi Collings (1909-1988), with the inclusion of Alison Forbes (1933-) later in 2016 [2]. Although gender equality and feminism is growing in today’s society, there is a ways to go to remove the impact from the past.
F*EMS is a space based in Melbourne for female and woman-aligned people to express themselves by submitting to their tri-annual zine. They also organize events to create a platform for women, to have their voices heard. [3] F*EMS zine takes illustrations, artworks, photos and articles done by women to showcase talents, express emotions and celebrate achievements.
The cover design of each issue of the zine is very different. There is no consistency or themed formula of each cover. There are covers with hand drawn artwork, hand painted illustration, digital illustration, photograph as well as crafty work like embroidery. The wide range use of medium used in the covers of the zines is well matching F*EMS aim of being as inclusive and accessible as possible. The inclusiveness of all mediums of artwork is suggesting that the world should be an inclusive place where everyone, more so females in this society, should be included, heard and valued in every aspect of life.
In the Issue 10 of F*EMS Zine, the cover design is crafty, fun and childlike. The background is roughly painted with earthy and pinky colours. Several coloured lines of stitches freely placed on the page. “F*EMS” and “ISSUE 10” is loosely written in black ink along with a few small doodles across the page. Interestingly, sewing or stitching was once only women’s job and the crafty side of design was then of course considered the stereotype for female designers, such as textile design, and they were not valued as important as “male’s design” such as industrial design. [4] F*EMS Zine uses the stitching element here to perhaps readdress this issue from the past as well as to celebrate the different methods and approaches of design.
Similar to F*EMS, Gusher is another magazine that is created entirely by women and genderqueer creatives, which creates a platform for female designers to be seen. It is an annual print magazine about rock music. Its existence is to carve out a space in the male-dominated rock music industry for an “intelligent, creative and inclusive” place about rock, punk and indie. [5]
The overall design is quite modern and vibrant with a touch of old-school vibe. Two issues were published so far and they seem well themed and matched. The vibrant, colorful pages suggest the inclusion and understanding of all, including genders, where women are no longer only associated with pink or other softer colours. The title “Gusher” on its cover is interestingly designed. Large, bold “Gusher” in red with a pink “Gusher” layer behind it. The pink to red symbolizes that we are slowly moving away from the gender inequality from the past, yet still got a ways to go to achieve gender equality. The bold and red text on top suggests their strong belief in the future, the future where all is equal. From photographs, illustrations to written content, everything about this zine is to showcase and celebrate women in not only the design industry, but also the music industry and the whole world.
Both “F*EMS” and “Gusher” are playing important roles in the present of feminism and gender equality. Although we still have a long way to go as a society, female designers, as well as women in other industries are now more celebrated than ever thanks to the forward thinking people and our growing and accepting society!
- Cheryl Buckley, “Made in Patriarchy: Toward a Feminist Analysis of Women and Design”.
- Jane Connory, “Plotting the Historical Pipeline of Women in Graphic Design”
- About F*EMS, accessed on April 12th 2018 http://www.femszine.com/About
- Cheryl Buckley, “Made in Patriarchy: Toward a Feminist Analysis of Women and Design”.
- About Gusher Magazine, accessed on April 12th 2018
Design Ideas 