As a design intern for Thought Matter, I got the opportunity to be involved in CENSOR THIS!, a design protest against censorship and silence, that the studio hosted for NYCxDesign week. In response to NYCxDesign’s theme of “Design is for Everyone,” Thought Matter transformed its Flatiron studio into a creative protest against erasure, inviting New York City to fight censorship with ink, words, and will.

CENSOR THIS! underscored, in stark terms, that free expression is never assured, it must be actively claimed. At its heart, the event championed what unfolds when voices refuse to wait for approval. Making our battlecry of this event: 

What goes quiet disappears.
Be a threat.
Design what they fear.

Over 200 designers, artists, and organizers, were invited to move through an immersive display of creative dissent and be active contributors.

Attendees produced posters bearing declarations of their own artistic resistance, which were printed on-site through a live screen-printing process by Bushwick Print Lab.

In the opposing corner, stood the Dead Library: a solemn installation featuring an urn encircled by withered flowers and shredded book pages, serving as a tribute to influential authors, works, and narratives now under threat of removal through local and nationwide bans.

At a shared table, participants composed letters addressed to elected officials and decision-makers, urging them to resist indifference in the struggle against censorship.

Nearby stood the Riot Wall—a layered installation of typographic posters showcasing outlawed, distorted, and weaponized words. 

Each element of the experience was crafted not only to evoke emotion, but to leave a lasting impression: that quiet compliance enables censorship.

Additional credits:
Samantha Barbagiovanni, Design Director
Jeff Donlan, Associate Motion Design Director
Ryan Wattaul, Senior Designer
Dylan Stiga, Senior Strategist
Molly Coletta, Project Manager
Simran Krugar, Junior Designer

Images courtesy of Thought Matter.