Meet Design Action Collective.
As a collective, we have a long history as a resource for social justice movements.
As individuals, we are artists, organizers, technologists, and strategists committed to building a more just world, in and out of our roles at DAC.
Design Action was founded as part of the post-9/11 anti-war movement.
We began as a spin-off of Inkworks Press, a worker-owned, political print shop with a long history of its own. In the early 2000s, as anti-war protests in the Bay Area gained momentum, some Inkworks members saw an urgent need for eye-catching posters and flyers. A new collective, focused on graphic design, was born…
We’ve been worker-owned since the start, so democratic decision-making is part of our DNA.
All of our full-time workers are co-owners with an equal stake and say in our business. We’re long-time members of the Network of Bay Area Worker Co-ops (NoBAWC) and founding members of the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC), to support other cooperatives and grow a solidarity economy.
Our work has supported thousands of local, national, and international campaigns for justice.
You might be familiar with us without even knowing it. From the original Black Lives Matter logo, to platforms for movement intellectuals, to massive demonstrations that move 30,000+ people to action, we’ve helped our clients strategically position their causes for the highest visibility and impact.
Our collective’s diversity reflects the communities we’re building for.
We are a majority queer and trans, majority BIPOC studio. Our lived experiences inform our shop’s commitment to equitable policies. Our politicized backgrounds help us approach client projects as strategic thought partners—as well as kick-ass designers.
As organizers ourselves, rapid response, mutual aid, and community care are daily practices, not buzzwords for profit.
Our members are embedded in movement networks, allowing us to be a trusted resource for community partners. Our rapid response and pro bono work has mobilized thousands to protest Muslim bans, shared on-the-ground testimonies in support of decarceration, hyped up events in solidarity with a free Palestine, and more.
From Design Action to Direct Action…
As a decades-long, proud resource for social justice movements, we are committed to shaping narrative legacies for our clients that will outlast a given political moment. We’re here to help you dream—because if you can imagine it, we’ll help you build it.
