Wikigraphists Bootcamp (2018 India)/Panel Discussion

Wikigraphists Bootcamp
(2018 India)

Status: Done
Participation Program Miscellaneous


Details edit

Media edit

Summary edit

The panel discussion led to a more nuanced understanding of the questions around design’s engagement with the open knowledge movement. In design education, opportunities for introducing the concept of community knowledge production by encouraging students to share their assignments on platforms such as Wikimedia Commons were considered. This would also allow students to engage with people outside their educational institutes. The need for creating academic content on design on Wikipedia in different languages was also recognised.

Within the design community, issues owing to the practice of not sharing work on open platforms were discussed. The need for a deeper knowledge of copyright for designers was pointed out so that they are able to share and attribute work. The example of the creation of the Ol Chiki typeface was presented in the context of using design practice in order to enable community knowledge in Santali language.

Going forward, conferences furthering design and open knowledge, and also discussing the ethical role of design in such a movement were suggested. Another recommendation was that of building an ecosystem for practitioners that allows them to work on paid projects on open knowledge. Finally, the need for a larger cultural shift in design to encourage designers to share work on open platforms was identified by all.