Sustainability Symposium 15th October 2016 Leeds Arts University Margaret Rynning Visual Communication and Speculations: designing transitions towards a more sustainable future Abstract This paper considers how visual communication design can contribute to a transition towards a more sustainable future by proposing speculative scenarios of possible, preferable and drastically new ways of living and by doing this enable discourses that may lead to changes in society. Transition design suggests a framework towards a new and more sustainable way of designing by creating visions for sustainable transitions that may lead to theories of change and new mind-sets and again new ways of designing. I will argue the importance of visual communication design in Transition design, through a collaborative and trans-disciplinary project concerning graphic design and art direction. A scenario towards a more sustainable future Envision a society with a payment system that thinks ahead of you in order to control overspending, minimizes waste and keeps an economic balance in the society so that every person get their share. In this society, a monthly quota is allotted and overspending is not possible. If someone desires more than allotted, they have to wait until next month to buy it. This speculative ‘smart’ payment system is presented through visual identity and communication design elements printed on everything to be bought in the envisioned future society. The visualization makes it possible to relate to the omnipresent payment system. This uncanny scenario by Oda Wahl, Mariella Toppe Hove and Maria Kanstad (Fig. 1) is an example of a student work as part of a collaborative project concerning graphic design and DUW GLUHFWLRQ VWXGHQWV DLPLQJ WR XVH YLVXDO FRPPXQLFDWLRQ DQG VSHFXODWLYH GHVLJQ UHﾁHFWLQJ issues of sustainability. As educators, we tutor design students to be able to address issues at a larger scale than the need of clients. Designers and design students can do more than VROYLQJ SUREOHPV WKH\ FDQ DOVR ﾀQG WKH SUREOHPV DQG UHGHﾀQH WKHP WR DWWDLQ EHWWHU UHVXOWV (Dunne and Raby, 2013, Chick and Micklethwaite, 2011). But how? I will in this paper explore, through pedagogical exercises where students are involved, how visual communication has an important role in the transdisciplinary framework of Transition design developed by Irvin et al (2015). I will also argue how Transition design may scaffold students in designing more sustainably in the future. The paper is structured as follows: First I will clarify the main terms used in this paper. Secondly I present one student project and relate it to the model of 33 ISBN: 978-0-9561970-7-8 Published open-access by Leeds Arts University, November 2017. https://www.leeds-art.ac.uk/media/1482169/expanding-communities-of-sustainable-practice.pdf