Feminist Icon Design

Feminist mapmaking offers exciting and alternative avenues to explore data, map form, and cartographic process. But where do we even begin? My work aims to bring feminism to mapping practice through icon design, an accessible entry point for novice and experienced cartographers. I conducted mapping workshops at Maptime Amsterdam and UW—Madison where I introduced a feminist cartographic framework before asking participants to redesign Maki icons with this framework in mind. Here, I review the workshops, the feminist mapping framework, and the resulting feminist icon designs to demonstrate the value of feminist perspectives in icon design and cartography, more broadly.

Transcript

1. feminist icon design Meghan Kelly—University of Wisconsin–Madison
2. feminist cartographies
3. Feminist Cartographies theory and practice
4. Feminist Cartographies theory and practice
5. Feminist Cartographies in Theory Critical Cartography / GIS Feminist Geographies Feminist Cartography / GIS Queer GIS Feminist Digital Geographies Data Justice Data Feminism and Feminist Data Visualization
6. Feminist Cartographies in Theory Critical Cartography / GIS Feminist Geographies Feminist Cartography / GIS Queer GIS Feminist Digital Geographies Data Justice Data Feminism and Feminist Data Visualization
7. Catherine D’Ignazio and Lauren Klein (2016) Data Feminism
9. The (often) visual expression of spatial information that intentionally and explicitly addresses questions of power, inequality, representation, and ethics. A map may be feminist in content, form, and/or process. Feminist Cartographies in Theory
10. The (often) visual expression of spatial information that intentionally and explicitly addresses questions of power, inequality, representation, and ethics. A map may be feminist in content, form, and/or process. Feminist Cartographies in Theory
11. The (often) visual expression of spatial information that intentionally and explicitly addresses questions of power, inequality, representation, and ethics. A map may be feminist in content, form, and/or process. Feminist Cartographies in Theory
12. Rethink binaries Embracing pluralism Examine power and aspire to empower Consider context and subjectivity Represent uncertainty Legitimize embodiment and affect Make labor visible Feminist Data Visualization Principles (D’Ignazio and Klein 2016)
13. Feminist Cartographies theory and practice
14. Annita Lucchesi—MMIW Database
15. Meghan Kelly—Collectively Mapping Borders
16. UW–Madison Design Challenge
18. Feminist Cartographies Why icons?
19. Maki Icons
20. Why icons?
21. Why icons?
24. Why icons?
25. Neil Horsky—Selections from a Symbology of Struggle
27. Feminist Cartographies Why Maki?
28. National Park Service Carto Mapzen
30. Feminist Cartographies Feminist Mapping Workshops
34. Goal: Use feminist data visualization principles to design alternative icons! Step 1: Pick an icon and think about its limitations. How can the icon be improved through a feminist lens? Step 2: Drawing on feminist data visualization principles iteratively redesign the icon. Keep your sketches and drafts. Step 3: Reflect on your designs in writing and annotate your sketches!
35. Goal: Use feminist data visualization principles to design alternative icons! Step 1: Pick an icon and think about its limitations. How can the icon be improved through a feminist lens? Step 2: Drawing on feminist data visualization principles iteratively redesign the icon. Keep your sketches and drafts. Step 3: Reflect on your designs in writing and annotate your sketches!
36. Goal: Use feminist data visualization principles to design alternative icons! Step 1: Pick an icon and think about its limitations. How can the icon be improved through a feminist lens? Step 2: Drawing on feminist data visualization principles iteratively redesign the icon. Keep your sketches and drafts. Step 3: Reflect on your designs in writing and annotate your sketches!
37. Rethink binaries Embracing pluralism Examine power and aspire to empower Consider context and subjectivity Represent uncertainty Legitimize embodiment and affect Make labor visible Feminist Data Visualization Principles (D’Ignazio and Klein 2016)
38. Goal: Use feminist data visualization principles to design alternative icons! Step 1: Pick an icon and think about its limitations. How can the icon be improved through a feminist lens? Step 2: Drawing on feminist data visualization principles iteratively redesign the icon. Keep your sketches and drafts. Step 3: Reflect on your designs in writing and annotate your sketches!
42. bike share
44. Consider context and subjectivity bike share
46. dentist
47. Embodiment and affect
48. Legitimize embodiment and affect dentist
50. clothing
51. Rethink binaries
52. clothing Rethink binaries
54. swimming
55. Rethink binaries
56. Rethink binaries
57. Rethink binaries
58. Rethink binaries toilet
60. police
61. Examine power
62. Examine power
64. square
65. Represent uncertainty
67. circle
69. swimming Embrace pluralism
70. toilet Embrace pluralism
71. Meghan Embrace pluralism
72. circle Embrace pluralism
74. Make labor visible
75. Make labor visible
76. Make labor visible
78. Aspire to empowerment
80. Feminist Icon Set?
81. Noun Project
82. Possibilities? Feminist Cartographies
83. Meghan Kelly @meghankellymaps Special thanks to UW–Madison, Trewartha Travel Grant