REPRESENTING DISASTER:
SIGNIFICANCE OF DESIGN IN COMMUNICATING SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

This paper is about a textbook that aims to teach children of 11-13 years of age how to prevent or deal with disasters in general. The title of the book is I am Learning How to Live Safely and it is sponsored by Red Cross and Crescent. The group of experts who wrote and prepared this book consisted of a professor of meteorological engineering, a professor of education, two designers and the delegates of Ministry of Education.

As a general decision of the group, the term “disaster” is avoided in the title deliberately, because the term disaster implies a fate/destiny oriented world view. For that reason, disaster is defined as a natural phenomenon and thus something we have to live with. Therefore, rather than a passive point of view and/or general attitude, a more “positive” and “active” stand is tried to be conveyed and encouraged. Instead of pronouncing “disaster”, the idea of “safe living” is prioritized.

We will be discussing particularly about the writing and designing process of this book in the paper, because the designers worked with the other members of the group from the beginning of the process and the analytic and systematic thinking of designers affected the text itself and the whole layout.

Apart from this structural intervention, second effect of the designerly contribution to such a critical theme is the problem of representation of these abstract notions related with this “safe living” attitude against disaster. There are two kinds of representation or abstraction is conducted in the book. First one is the representation of the physical and natural incidents. Second one is the representation of the desired behaviours/attitudes of children/people who will read the book.

While the concepts are represented, by the help of visuality, children are encouraged to behave in an active, realistic and positive manner towards the natural facts. As a method to help develop such a behaviour change in children, role models are provided who are the main characters of the book that the children identify themselves with.

By this paper we aim to discuss and explain how certain concepts could be underlined, highlighted and how the content can shape and/or be “shaped” by using the basic elements of design and tools of representation within the context of design, disaster and discourse as part of a project concerning social responsibility.