In July 1987, a working paper entitled Graphic Design for Development was submitted by board members[1] of ICOGRADA (the International Council of Graphic Design Associations) to UNESCO (the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization), following a 4-day seminar in Nairobi, Kenya. The main objectives of the seminar were to raise awareness on the contributions graphic design can make in improving people’s lives and to increase a better understanding of graphic design as a professional practice.

Twenty years have passed and the place of design in relationship to international development has made progress. Yet graphic design as a problem-solving tool remains unclear for a majority of non-designers, particularly within governments and international organizations such as the United Nations.
This paper will show, following personal stories about working in UNESCO, how designers have become more sensitive to the social dimensions of design and how graphic design can encourage and promote such practices. Although there is a growing consciousness amongst designers that their professional field can have a wider and more meaningful impact, the “design approach” is not largely understood by countries, governments and international agencies. Some schools have developed programmes aiming at using design as a tool for social change and many competitions on the theme of sustainable development or the United Nations Millennium Goals are flourishing. Yet what is the real impact of such initiatives and are they considered at a political level? Should graphic design be more widely used to communicate about existing world problems and available solutions? Should graphic design students be more exposed to world issues?
In a second phase, this paper will reflect on the possible expansion of graphic design in geographic areas where it is almost absent and therefore needed. Should non-designers be educated about design? Should all children receive basic design education at school? There is today a growing number of issues that should be considered by graphic designers. Areas such as multi-culturalism, illiteracy, public health, education, sustainable environment, statistical data, or nation and city branding represent new territories that graphic designers could explore in partnership with non-design sectors particularly in the developing world.
Design should not be too insular. As architects of change, designers cannot go at it alone[2].

© 2008 sali sasaki