Burnout - Geoff Han

Prior to the pandemic, graphic designers were already overworked — whether balancing gigs in large technology companies or in multinational branding companies; or in the cultural field at museums with links to weapons manufacturers; or in teaching at for-profit universities with extractive relationships to bank-owned student debt and real estate. In a post-Fordist world, work is all-encompassing and goes beyond traditional notions of labor and production. Designers comprise the growing design precariat inhabiting the post-industrial condition.

Since Covid, design students and educators have continued to be overwhelmed. For example, it is not uncommon for students to have full-time WFH contracts with Big Tech firms while still in school. And educators, already facing increased demands and workload during the pandemic, often story and post their teaching experiences to reinforce rheir personal brand.

It is no surprise then that we feel collectively exhausted. In this global crisis of unhappiness, taking care of oneself and each other has never been as critical. Care spans a spectrum, from looking after individuals’ physical and emotional needs, to the larger project of social welfare.

For this workshop, your assignment is to research and translate the topic of burnout in relationship to the field of art and/or design. Consider the multitude of different design strategies to respond to the topic of exhaustion in order to achieve convalescence. For example, in “Exhaustion and and Exuberance,” Jan Verwoert outlines various strategies to respond to burnout including: provocative latency, just-in-time production, defiant exuberance, appropriation, communality and conviviality, and exhaustion as a search for limits and extremes.

Start by picking a specific topic of interest to you, researching and gathering as much content as possible, and then translating your topic into a narrative using a medium of your choice. The final expression of this project should critically translate your chosen narrative into an engaging visual and, experiential work.