On Saturday evening, September 22, a pop-up protest collaboration between Designers Speak (Up) and Auckland Feminist Action, and others in the wider design and art community, was held outside the 2018 Best Design Awards event. The objective of the Action 40/3 protest was to highlight gender and cultural diversity issues within the design industry, as represented by the Designers Institute of New Zealand.




Button badges and postcards were handed out, with award attendees pausing to stop for korero with the protestors — one or two even donned the Action 40/3 tee. Another attempted to walk in with a lollipop sign …


Designers Speak (Up) + Auckland Feminist Action wish to thank everyone — friends, families, pets, artists and non-designers — who took a leap of faith and joined us in making the issues visible and vocal, on the ground and from afar.
Power in the protest, message in the media:

more photos BTS action, and videos to come …
Designers Speak (Up) / photographs © 2018 Michelle Jones