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A Newsletter from the UN & NGOs Designers Group Geneva

Visual Communicators Newsletter
APRIL 2019

This is a monthly newsletter from the UN Designers and Visual Communicators Group in Geneva. Drop us a line if you would like to collaborate or share any material for inclusion in this newsletter: info@UNdesigners.org

A year in the life of an organization

It’s become almost a ritual to wait with anticipation each year for the release of the new UN Geneva Office annual report. This year's highlight for us is the extensive use of infographics that makes reading so much easier and more engaging. The quality of the paper and the cover texture also make the printed edition an enjoyable tactile experience. Worth noting as well is the editorial work behind the aesthetics, with multiple entry points for readers across the layout and pages adorned with interesting facts and figures illustrating the relevance of an institution like UNOG.

What design can do

Next 6-8 of May anyone and everyone interested in designing for Good has a save the date in Mexico city to add to their calendars. The What Design can do festival touches on almost all aspects of design and creativity, and encompasses themes from resilient cities, to designing activism, humanizing immigrants and more. For a taste of the latter theme, check out the amazing multimedia project that is the Refugee Republic by Jan Rothuizen. We encourage everyone to spend some time wandering the streets of this (virtual) republic and to immerse themselves in the (real) life of refugees.

Connecting the dots

There is data, there is big data, and then there is the SDG mapping work carried out by UNOG's Perception Change Project. The core results of their findings has been compiled into what they call expertise mapping and comparison mapping. Behind this great piece of data visualization lies the gigantic task of collecting and coordinating SDG information from more than 50 different international agencies and NGOs based in Geneva. If that wasn't enough to convince you, it’s also accompanied by an online version in the form of this sleek website.

April Inspiration

A webpage
ICRC Arab region asked women from Syria, Yemen and Sudan to visualize a floor plan of their homes before and after war. Images and handwritten Arabic calligraphy come together in Shorthand.

An infographic
Malofiej's awards went to Nat Geo's 'when children lack nutrition' for print, and Reuters' 'a window into Delhi's deadly pollution' for digital. Check out all the best infographics of 2018.

A collection
The UN Design Unit in NYC has packed some of their best visual identities into a page on their Behance in a testimony to the work of this prolific team. Bonus: A page for motion graphics too!

A (lot of) sign(s)
Whether it's Brexit or climate change, creative minds seem to have found an inventive way to grab people's attention when too much is being said and no one listens. A sign of the times?

An anniversary
Ten years ago someone at The Guardian had the idea to start documenting their dataviz work. Ten years on, data editors from the project explore how The Datablog has influenced journalism.

An identity

Above there is a peek into the creative process behind unlocking the energy of sports as the concept for this year's World Intellectual Property Day. The final product can be seen here.

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Copyright © 2019 UN Designers Group, All rights reserved.

This newsletter has been produced by the UN Designers group, a non-profit organization created with the purpose of raising awareness around design and visual communications in international organizations, as well as help promoting the work done in this field. Our channels are both our physical meetings, usually hosted in UN agencies or other international organizations in Geneva, and this e-newsletter.

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