Reading Forward: Design for Good Initiative
Design for Good is an initiative started by AIGA to utilize design and visual thinking for social change, and so for this project I was tasked to come up with my own organization geared toward a social cause. I have always believed that the importance of literacy skills is not stressed enough in our society, and according to Emily Schmidt's article "Reading the numbers: 130 million American adults have low literacy skills, but funding differs drastically by state," 54% of American adults read below the 6th grade level. However, there are not as many literacy resources available to adults as there are to children. Poor reading and writing skills can hinder an individual's daily experiences, and so I wanted to design an organization that focuses on improving adult literacy.
Reading Forward is a non-profit organization I designed that raises money through merchandise sales to provide funding to public libraries across the United States. It provides online resources for individuals who want to work on their reading and writing skills at home, and it will put people in contact with local libraries in their region if they want hands-on instructions. One can also obtain a book through our website for free. These books will be easy-to-read but still be suitable for adults; in my discussion with Dr. Jeremy Logsdon, Director of the Center for Literacy at Western Kentucky University, he reported that a majority of books for lower reading levels are children's books. I believe it's essential for literature to be more accessible to all skill levels, and so our organization will help adults find a book that's right for them.
Below are promotional posters that would be hung up in public spaces like at the mall, on newspaper stands, bus stop shelters, and more. I also designed billboards to further increase campaign outreach.
Reading Forward sells a variety of merchandize to raise money for our cause. All proceeds from the branded items would be donated to public libraries so that they can fund literacy programs with appropriate resources and instructor training to ensure their success. Items include bookmarks, buttons, and apparel.
The Reading Forward website was designed to provide easy access to various resources that improve reading and writing skills, all available from the comfort of home!
