How Social Media has Propelled Political Graphic Design and Art in the Last Decade

Imagine how different Donald Trump’s presidency would be without Twitter, where he posts most of his unfiltered news and opinions to media outlets, who lap it up willingly. Or following the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, where Twitter, Facebook and Instagram were used as platform to share many artistic responses of support toward France. And following numerous televised political marches – the International Women's Day march, for example – many powerful graphic designs seen on posters and placards were captured and turned into news stories, or catapulted the illustrator into fame as result, such as Edel Rodriguez.
In a new exhibition at the Design Museum, the relationship between graphics, politics and social media is explored through posters and banners spanning from the global financial crash of 2008 up to the present year. The exhibition reflects how with social sharing – and our image-obsessed media world – the impact of graphic design has never been greater. And how in turn, the social role of designers becomes increasingly important, as explored by a number of leading designers in our design trends feature.

Image: Shepard Fairy's adaption of the original Obama 'Hope' poster, seen at an anti-Trump rally in Oregon, January 2017. Photo credit: Scott Wong.