Blacklisted
print · activism · censorship
Blacklisted. is a publication project I designed in response to the ACLU’s work against the censorship of artistic expression. Developed within a guided design brief, the piece examines how book bans and obscenity laws allow institutions to restrict whose stories are told and which ideas the public is allowed to access. The visuals lean into literary symbolism, using analog redaction textures, scorched typography, and pages engulfed in flames to show how expression can be erased in both quiet and catastrophic ways. By combining these distressed graphic elements with the stark language of censorship, Blacklisted. makes the danger feel immediate and personal, reminding viewers that when art is silenced, imagination, individuality, and democratic freedom are silenced with it.
Cover
The front cover of Blacklisted. shows a fully redacted page with only a few exposed words like war, burn, flames, destroy, and fire. These fragments make the hidden text seem threatening, reflecting how censorship encourages assumptions based on fear. The back cover reveals the truth: the introduction to Fahrenheit 451, written by Neil Gaiman in 2013, which explains how speculative fiction warns us about the present and how censorship distorts meaning. By contrasting the alarming surface with the thoughtful reality underneath, the covers show how easily understanding is lost when texts are judged without context and how censorship reshapes what we believe we are seeing.
Inside
Inside the publication, the redaction textures continue across the spreads, creating a consistent reminder of how information can be obscured or controlled. Each chapter divider marks the slow arrival of fire, starting at the edges and intensifying as the book moves forward. By the final section, the flames have overrun the pages, burning through the text until it becomes unreadable. This visual progression mirrors the accelerating danger of censorship, revealing how quickly expression can be erased once suppression begins.
Posters
The poster set for Blacklisted. brings the project’s message into public view by focusing on what censorship takes away rather than what it looks like. Each piece reflects the emotional weight of lost voices and the quiet escalation from small restrictions to total erasure. Together, the posters urge viewers to consider how easily stories can disappear when expression is controlled, and why protecting the freedom to create and be heard is essential.
Matchbox Pin
Included with the publication is a small resistance pin designed to extend the message of Blacklisted. beyond the printed page. It draws inspiration from symbols of defiance found in banned literature and acts as a reminder that creative expression survives even in the face of suppression. Engraved with a call to rise and paired with subtle ACLU branding, the pin is meant to be worn as a quiet declaration of solidarity with artists, writers, and thinkers whose voices risk being erased. Its matchbox-inspired packaging reinforces the idea that resistance can begin as a spark, carrying the spirit of the project forward in a way that is both personal and enduring.
