Ctrl+Shift: Posters that Activate
June 10, 2025An assignment and exhibition that empower student voices through design.
Summary
Ctrl+Shift demonstrates how early-stage design students can engage with big ideas, complex issues, and professional practices all in one assignment. More than just an exercise in poster-making, this project helps students see themselves as communicators, advocates, and designers with a voice.
“Design can be a form of social activism. This assignment made me realize that even my small voice can make an impact.”
— Anonymous Student Feedback
The Course
Graphic Design Foundations is a 12-week introductory course that explores how the formal elements of design—line, shape, colour, texture, space, and composition—can be used to communicate ideas. Students learn not only how to ideate and execute effective designs, but how to critically evaluate their work and the work of others.
The Assignment
Midway through the term, students begin the Social Good Poster assignment, applying their emerging design skills to a cause they care about. Over
The Exhibition
Select student posters were featured in a public exhibition, CTRL+SHIFT, shown on campus and at the local art gallery.
My Role
I designed and facilitated this assignment and have taught it in multiple formats: face-to-face and online asynchronously. It has also been successfully adopted by other faculty. I also curated and installed the multiple exhibitions.

The Challenge
Bridging Design Skills with Social Purpose
The core challenge of this project was guiding early design students to move beyond aesthetics and technical execution toward purpose-driven communication. While many began the course focused on tools and technique, this assignment asked them to connect personal values with pressing social issues—and express those ideas visually.
For many, it was their first experience using design as a voice. They researched complex topics, took a stance, and learned to communicate it clearly through their visual choices. The process demanded critical thinking, vulnerability, and a shift from designing to “meet the brief” to designing with intention and impact.
Learning in Public
The public exhibition added real-world pressure—and opportunity. Students had to consider not just how their poster looked, but how it would be understood by a broader audience. This shifted their mindset from classroom production to public communication.
Redefining the Role of Education
In a world where information is everywhere and AI can answer most questions, the purpose of education is changing. As Will Richardson argues in his TED talk on Education Leadership (2012), content mastery is no longer enough. Students need help developing those skills that are not easily measured, such as critical literacy, judgment, building connections and networks. They must learn how to think, not just what to know.
This project responds to that shift. It builds self-directed inquiry, ethical awareness, and creative confidence. It’s not about the “right” answer—it’s about learning how to explore, reflect, situate oneself in a greater context, and design with purpose.
The Assignment
Project Scope
This project is introduced midway through the Graphic Design Foundations course, when students have built basic fluency with Adobe Illustrator and the principles of design and are beginning to explore visual culture, design history, and decolonial perspectives. The Social Good Poster project marks a turning point: it asks students to apply their formal design skills to real-world content with ethical, cultural, and social dimensions.
Students are challenged to research both a graphic designer and a social issue that resonates with them personally. Their task is to create a poster that raises awareness for that issue, designed in the stylistic spirit of the chosen designer. The process emphasizes research, ideation, iteration, critique, and reflection—core competencies in design practice.
Read the full Assignment Brief
Below is a small sampling of student posters. Click on the poster to enlarge it and view its caption, which includes the students name, the designer whose style inspired them, and the cause they chose to advocate for:
Assignment Goals
The project is designed to help students:
- Engage with poster design as a tool for social change
- Explore the historical and cultural context of graphic design
- Practice research and synthesis of ideas
- Develop skills in concept ideation, iteration, and reflection
- Gain experience giving and receiving peer critique
- Reflect on personal values, visual culture and creative growth
Process and Structure
The assignment unfolds over several weeks and includes the following components:
Part 1: Research (2 weeks)
- Designer & Issue Research: Students investigate a notable designer—often someone involved in advocacy or bold visual communication—and select a social issue that they feel passionate about.
- Comparative Analysis: They analyze the visual language, messaging strategies, and cultural context of their designer’s work.
- Research Presentation: Students presents their reserach to the class either face-to-face or in video format.
Part 2: Poster Design (4 weeks)
- Initial Concept Sketches: Students create multiple low-fidelity thumbnails to explore how to visually translate their chosen issue and designer’s style.
- Iterative Design: Through feedback from peers and the instructor (in critiques or asynchronous discussion forums), students refine and evolve their designs toward a final poster.
- Self-Assessment & Reflection: A rubric-guided self-assessment helps students reflect critically on their research, process, and outcomes.
Evaluation Tools
Assessment is designed to support reflection and growth, not just grading. Students use two rubrics to guide their work:
View the Research Rubric
View the Poster Design Rubric
These rubrics help clarify expectations and support self-directed learning. Students complete a self-assessment at the end of the project, reflecting on their design process and outcomes. Formative feedback—through critique and discussion—is ongoing throughout, encouraging iteration, self-awareness, and confidence in their creative decisions.
Flexibility and Formats
The assignment has been taught in multiple delivery modes:
- In-person, with face-to-face critiques and studio support.
- Fully online, with asynchronous discussion forums and digital feedback.
- Delivered by other faculty, with consistent results.
The Exhibition
The CTRL+SHIFT exhibition showcased select posters from multiple offerings of the Social Good Poster assignment over two academic years. Seen all together, these posters result in a diverse and powerful series of visual statements on topics ranging from climate justice and Indigenous land rights to gender equity, mental health, and digital privacy.
More than a display of technical skill, CTRL+SHIFT is a demonstration of values-based design, an exhibition on issues that matter to our students. Each poster was accompanied by a label identifying the student, their chosen designer, and the social cause they advocated for, providing context.
This exhibition also challenges viewers to consider how design can not only reflect the world, but shape it. Relevant quotes from professional designers across decades and cultures were interspersed throughout the exhibition to prompt deeper reflection about the value of design.
“My argument is that all graphic designers hold high levels of responsibility in society. We take invisible ideas and make them tangible. That’s our job.”
DEBBIE MILLMAN
American writer, educator, artist, curator, and designer who is best known as the host of the podcast Design Matters
“Design creates culture.
Culture shapes values.
Values determine the future.”ROBERT L. PETERS
Canadian graphic designer and educator
“Good art inspires;
Good design motivates.”OTL AICHER
German graphic designer and typographer, Co-founded of the Ulm School of Design
A Show with Reach
The exhibition was mounted three times over the academic year:
- Fall 2023: The full installation debuted at North Island College’s Comox Valley Campus, offering students, faculty, and the broader campus community the chance to engage with student work in a professional setting.
- Winter 2024: The show was invited to be displayed to the general public in the Comox Valley Art Gallery’s satellite gallery as part of a broader conversation that explored the topics of misogyny, gender-based + racist violence, and resiliency:
https://www.comoxvalleyartgallery.com/themes/upholding-one-another/ - Spring 2024: A curated version of the show was featured at the NIC DIGITAL Design + Development Grad Show, where it reached prospective students, alumni, and industry guests.
Each iteration reinforced the idea that student work has real value and public relevance. For many students, this was their first time exhibiting work beyond the classroom. Seeing their posters in a gallery setting gave them a sense of agency and connection—showing that their creative voice can extend into public space and contribute to larger conversations.
A platform for student voices
CTRL+SHIFT is more than an art show—it’s a platform for student voices. It demonstrates to the College and the greater community what issues our students care about most.
Student Feedback & Impact
As of June 2025:
150+ students
completed the assignment
3 exhibitions
completed the assignment
60+ posters
displayed publicly
“I had no real idea of what design really was before this class… but the more I learn the more excited I get (…) This project completely sealed the deal for me. It only took me 42 years to figure out what I want to do!”
— Caleb, Winter 2021
“This course opened my eyes to how much our visual culture is shaped by Eurocentric values. I really appreciated learning about global designers.”
— Amanda, Fall 2021
“Thank you! I feel so passionate about this assignment. Learning about the carbon footprint of technology really shook me. I was naive not to know. I’m grateful for this course.”
— Kimberly, Fall 2021
“I don’t usually like my drawing, but the style of Luba Lukova inspired me. I want to keep making posters like this for my personal projects.”
— Darryl, Fall 2022 (Taught by J. Edwards)
“Having a specific designer to emulate made this so much easier—I’m usually indecisive, but this gave me direction.”
— Trinity, Fall 2022 (Taught by J. Edwards)
Reflection and Lessons Learned
This assignment has become a cornerstone of the Graphic Design Foundations course, offering students a meaningful entry point into both design history and design as social practice. Across multiple semesters, I’ve seen students light up when they connect personal values with visual storytelling.
What Works Well
- Pairing research with creative output deepens student engagement.
- Including designer emulation helps scaffold the design process for beginners.
- Public exhibition boosts motivation and pride in work.
- Formative feedback from peers and instructors encourages deeper reflection on both concept and execution.
Areas for Growth
- In future iterations, I plan to deepen the focus on decolonizing graphic design by inviting Indigenous designers into the classroom to share their perspectives and practices.
- I would like to develop a digital exhibition companion to increase accessibility and visibility. I may make this digital exhibition a project for my Advanced WordPress Development or Capstone students.
- Ongoing development of inclusive critique methods in online environments is a priority and technical challenge.