What it’s about
Our 2025 exhibition, titled "Collateral: Mass Influence and the Persuasion of Design," is an experiential exhibit that explores the effective role of design and how it shapes perception, controls narratives, and influences emotions. We aim to demonstrate how design can simplify complex ideas into impactful imagery that resonates with audiences. We examine both the ethical and unethical sides of design, including its use in social movements and its role in spreading misinformation. We analyze the evolution of design alongside mass communication tools, from the printing press to social media; the exhibit encourages the audience to critically engage with how design influences their worldview and the media they consume.
Why do we care?
We care about this because design is everywhere. We are in an era where visual communication dominates, and understanding how it shapes our perception is important. Of course, design has functional and aesthetic purposes, but it also has the power to sway emotions, create connections, and manipulate beliefs. It can be the color palettes of a fast food chain and social media campaigns, symbols created for social movements, or even the unbeknownst psychological tricks embedded in what we might not even realize. In this new era of AI, there are waves of widespread misinformation and disinformation, making it more important than ever to be critical of the media we consume. This exhibition is a way to bring awareness, spark necessary conversations, and inspire a more informed audience on how design can be used and how to navigate the complexities of today's media landscape.
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Identifying and analyzing misleading messages in different situations is easier when you understand propaganda methods. These strategies encourage you to make more informed choices in your daily life. It helps create a society where people are more willing to contribute to a more critical and open public debate.
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Politics plays a significant role in our society, and we thought it was important that our exhibition show how propaganda has historically shaped political narratives and influenced public opinion. It is also important to note the connection between propaganda and politics raises ethical considerations.
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This is easy. Question everything. Don’t just read a headline or video title and share it. Watch the video; read the article; and then ask questions. Do you understand what the person is saying and are they giving evidence to support it? Can that evidence be fact checked? Who are the sources and can those sources be verified? Always be asking questions, and always be looking beyond what the article/video is telling you.
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We get it, 57% of people don’t trust the traditional news media and don’t care what’s being pushed out by mainstream news outlets based on a Morning Consult survey. But you should care and have media literacy so that you can properly decipher bias, misleading headlines, and just plain lies within a media source. This means you won’t be influenced by propaganda and misinformation by any sources, not just the ones you think are reliable.
More Graphic Design at CMU
More Graphic Design at CMU
Like what you saw here at the gallery? Want to be more involved with graphic design while you’re at CMU? Look no further than the graphic design club, Design Hub!! There are always projects and events being put on to engage with like minded artists and help you grow while you participate!
For more information on Design Hub, click below!