Why One Designer Is Making Protest Art More Feminine
Deva Pardue, the woman behind For All Womankind and The Wing’s branding, on using design to promote progress.
The recent presidential election has dire implications for reproductive rights, and graphic designer Deva Pardue felt there was a need for social impact campaigns to encourage activism. So in early December she launched For All Womankind, a design initiative that donates all proceeds to the Center for Reproductive Rights and Emily’s List. “A lot of women didn’t think we had to worry about things like our reproductive rights,” Pardue says. “But here we are, and it turns out we do.”
Pardue, who spent five years at Pentagram before going freelance in July, also recently created the brand identity for The Wing, New York City’s new social club for women, designed to be both an escape and a place to connect with like-minded women. Magenta spoke with Pardue on the heels of these projects about her motivation to launch For All Womankind, leaving her dream job to freelance, and having a healthy sense of confidence.
Turn emotions into action
Post-election, I, like lot of people, felt very super affected and upset by the results. In the initial weeks after, I was kind of depressed and not really motivated to do much. But it’s like the stages of grief; it turned into anger. I wanted to do something, use my skills in some way, but I hadn’t quite figured out how. When the idea for For All Womankind came to me I thought, “OK, this is it, I need to do it.” It’s important that we use our skills to do whatever we can.
There’s so much dialogue and passion around women’s rights, but there isn’t really a visually exciting or strong presence in the media, so I thought there was a void to be filled.
Feminizing the clenched fist
I realized that with this clenched-fist motif used a lot in protest art, none of the hands looked feminine in any way. So I just decided I would do it now. I think that the reason I was able to rally and make that happen in a week, design these posters, and put up a website, and just go for it was because this is something that I really do care about. It’s timely, it’s important, it’s political, and it’s social. It has a lot of things that I am passionate about, so I was very excited about it. That’s when I work the fastest and the best.
About that name
It’s a play on “mankind,” but I also felt making it about all womankind was particularly relevant right now given the marginalization of minorities during the election. This comes through in the various skin colors of the illustrated fists in the air, too. This is about more than just American women’s rights, it’s about the female species at large. American policies affect those of other nations, both directly and indirectly.
Being a female designer
I have definitely — still — encountered some issues being a woman in design. I’ve had clients who would much prefer meeting with a male than a female, or would need a male partner to be on the job with the female partner. I’ve had clients who don’t shake my hand when I walk into a meeting. They’ll shake the hand of the man I’m working with, but not mine.
As a woman, you just need to own it and not let it bog you down. I mean, yeah, you need to get upset, but just keep going and be confident. Chin up; own your work. Just do the best work you can, and don’t work with people who disrespect you or don’t shake your hand.
After the dream job
Working at Pentagram was my dream job. I went to college and told myself, “I’m going to work at Pentagram.” So having that as a goal for so long and achieving it so early on, I didn’t really have that very determined goal in mind anymore and I think that that’s a good thing. But it’s weird to realize this thing that was very important to you is now over.
Don’t get comfortable
One of the reasons you work for someone for five years is to learn from them. I worked for Emily Oberman, and she’s great, and I learned so much from her. But when you work with someone for so long, you may lose yourself a little bit along the way. I knew I needed to get out of my comfort zone.
Saying no
I say no to freelance that comes directly to me more than I used to. I think I’ve learned a bit about the kind of clients that I don’t like working for. I always ask myself if I will feel good about the work. One of my favorite clients is Art Table, a nonprofit for women in the arts. At Pentagram, too, I did a lot of nonprofit work and those kinds of clients, even if they don’t pay as well, are always so much nicer. You just feel so good about the work.
Even if it’s not nonprofit work, I like to do things that feel important and worthwhile. Don’t deal with horrible people. You can very easily tell the first time that you talk to someone on the phone, or even over email, whether they’re lowballing you, if they’re going to be a difficult person to deal with, and whether they’re going to actually respect the work.
Picking the right clients
One of the best parts of being a designer is that we get to dive into these little worlds. With each client, you get a little glimpse into a different industry. I get to learn what it’s like to be a financial advisor, something that I would never be exposed to. I don’t need a financial advisor and I don’t hang out with financial advisors, so I like to really appreciate it and learn as much as I can about a new niche.
When I’m choosing clients or the people I want to work with, I think about what I’m interested in and what I want to learn. If you only do real-estate work, then that’s all you know and that’s really not very fulfilling. I love the diversity and ability to dive into as many areas as possible.
On confidence
I wouldn’t say that I’m never scared, but I know that I do good work and I know that I work hard. I’m not going to be lost and unable to do something I want to do. I come from a very tiny, rural town in Ireland, and now live in New York and worked at Pentagram. I can figure it out.
