These are the political issues freelance designers most care about
97% of respondents believe creatives have the power to make a real social impact
Politics plays a big role in graphic design, with two in five freelance designers who say they’ve turned down work in the past year because of a client’s stance on a social issue.
That’s according to the Design Without Borders 2022 survey of more than 10,000 freelance designers from 144 countries by the Australia-based freelance platform 99designs. The top issues for freelance designers are healthcare and public health, climate change, racial justice, income equality, child welfare, immigration, food security, and LGBTQ+ equality, according to Fast Company, which first reported the survey.
Here are some highlights from the survey, which was conducted last fall:
97% of respondents believe creatives have the power to make a real social impact
85% believe it’s important to work for clients who share their values
42% have shared or created a piece of content related to a social justice issue
40% have turned down work because of a client’s stance on social issues
Nearly 1/3 work with social justice organizations, and of those who do, 66% of their work is done pro-bono
“A teacher of mine used to say that all design is political, which is true,” one respondent from Chile said. “We are the bridge between a message and the public. We can make the world change and improve.”