It’s estimated that up to 1 in every 10 – 20 people in the UK has some degree of dyslexia – a learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling, with 4{ff546b69e23b1524d799f96c6ba7a638e1f677053b0a2a1568b05315fd5f8fc7} of the population being severely affected. However, for some, the differences in the way their brains work can enable them to think more creatively. For the first time, Dyslexic Design will celebrate the work of dyslexic designers over five days as part of designjunction during London Design Festival. “It is my belief that I am able to design the way I do, because of my dyslexia and not despite it,” says curator Jim Rokos. “I also firmly believe that other dyslexic designers have idiosyncratic styles because of their dyslexia. Dyslexia can be a daily inconvenience, but it can also be a gift.”
The exhibition will feature the work of more than 10 leading designers, including Sebastian Bergne, Tom Raffield and Terence Woodgate, from multiple design disciplines including product, fashion, illustration, home decor and fine art, all of whom are dyslexic. It will challenge perceptions of dyslexia by accentuating the positive effects of living with the condition and its close association with design, in a bid to remove the stigma sometimes associated with it. “Dyslexic Designers’ work is enriched with the unexpected, made possible by the thinking of a dyslexic mind,” says Rokos. Examples include Egg Decanter by Sebastian Bergne, the No.1 Pendant by Tom Raffield, and the Knot Lamp by Vitamin.
“This is a subject matter very close to my heart,” says designjunction’s managing director Deborah Spencer. “I grew up with dyslexia and I believe it played an integral part in leading me down the path of art and design. In some respects it has defined me as a person. It is a great pleasure to support this brilliant project.”
“I am delighted designjunction shares my vision and desire to remove the unwanted and unwarranted stigma sometimes associated with dyslexia and in doing so change perceptions of it,” adds Jim. “We believe dyslexia is something that drives and inspires creative thought and design.”
Throughout the show, critical debates on design education, the relationship between dyslexia and lateral thinking, and the relationship between dyslexia and visual thinking will take place. Many of the designers will be ‘coming out’ as dyslexic and speaking about the challenges and opportunities their dyslexia has presented for the first time. Questions will be raised about how the world could be made more user-friendly for dyslexics, and whether it would be appropriate to declassify this less common brain structure as a disability. It is currently classified as a “specific learning difficulty”, which means it causes problems with certain abilities used for learning, such as reading and writing, but unlike a “learning disability“, intelligence isn’t affected. It is however identified as a disability in the Equality Act 2010.
Even the exhibition’s logo is part of the message of the show. It is made from a font specially designed by Daniel Britton. “What this typeface does is break the reading time of a non-dyslexic down to the speed of a dyslexic,” he explains. “I wanted to make non-dyslexic people understand what it is like to read with the condition and to recreate the frustration and embarrassment of reading everyday text and then in turn create a better understanding of the condition.”
A percentage of designjunction ticket sales will be donated to the British Dyslexia Association after the show. “Many of the dyslexic people across the UK are unable to fulfil their potential as a large percentage of the population still do not understand what dyslexia is, the difficulties which the condition presents, and how best to support dyslexics,” says the charity. “Dyslexia is not an obvious difficulty; it is hidden. The BDA is the voice of dyslexic people. We aim to influence government and other institutions to promote a dyslexia-friendly society, that enables dyslexic people of all ages to reach their full potential.”
designjunction, now in its sixth year, returns in September 2016 as part of the London Design Festival. Relocating to a new long-term home in King’s Cross, the show will take over the majority of the Central Saint Martins site with a programme of exhibitions, installations, retail experiences, events and workshops based on this year’s theme of Immersed in Design.
