A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words — and Identities

Today — March 1, 2021 — kicks off FiscalNote’s observance of Gender Equity Month, a commemoration of the female identity* that is as profound as it is bittersweet. In- and outside the workplace, those who identify as women face systemic obstacles that disadvantage socioeconomic mobility, at times facing threats to their very right to exist.

FiscalNote, where I work as a marketing specialist, is poised to spotlight gender equity this month. Proudly, I accepted the honor of creating accompanying visuals, with strategic direction and refinement provided by my teammates Whit Robinson and Monica Michaan. I focused on social media imagery, as it was the best medium through which to generate awareness and elevate conversations surrounding this topic. Allow me to walk you through our “thoughtful design” process.

Thoughtful design is a vehicle for nonverbal communication that consciously acknowledges its impact on individuals’ behaviors, mindsets, and lifestyles. As I researched and drafted what would become our social media presence for the month, my colleagues and I had to reconcile our brand vision with the broader theme (gender equity) at hand. Every design element would have an implication — our choices would influence those implications.

To this end, we looked to implement a flat design. A style popularized by tech-heavy companies like Facebook and Google, the flat design approach helps symbolize FiscalNote’s own technological capabilities. Furthermore, this choice utilizes minimalist 2D elements and vibrant colors to streamline visual communication; as a result, colors play an important and strategic role in our imagery.

Specifically, we used color to pay homage to the intersectionality of female identity: there is no “one size fits all;” to be female is to be Black, white, young, old, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, straight, gay, transgender, cis-gendered, etc.

The faceless identities of our illustrated women further this motif; they are both you and me and her and she and every other woman who has directly or indirectly labored for equity.

This interconnected nature continues through our interconnected text (Gender-Equity), which uses a larger, bolder font to underscore gender parity. The connection is amplified through the literal white “spotlight” surrounding the text. Finally, our logo — and the logo of Women in Government Relations, our March programming partner — is displayed via a red equal sign, a direct reference to the idea that equity is a partnership pursuit that cannot stand without organizational and individual support. If we stand for nothing, we will fall for anything.

There is still much to be done. The glass ceiling has yet to be broken. But, if we stand together, united by the different perspectives and experiences that define our respective senses of womanhood, I believe we can initiate change and make the future just a little bit brighter. Design is just one of many vehicles that can help us get there.

*In this essay, “female/woman/women/womyn” means anyone identifying as female regardless of biological sex, color, age, abilities, beliefs, sexuality, etc.