Woke

Recently I came across the Hulu series, “Woke”, a show that utilizes elements of shape and design to communicate powerful messages about race, inequality, identity, and culture. The show is inspired by the life and work of artist Keith Knight, an African-American cartoonist whose work is humorous and universal in appeal, though also dealing with political, social, and racial issues. The reason this show is relevant to our design class is twofold: firstly, the series utilizes graphic design elements by bringing inanimate shapes and objects to life. These objects and shapes are animated to “speak” to the protagonist, Keef Knight, encouraging him to be “woke”. This notion rings true to our discussion question, “do shapes feel?” In this case, yes!