LUISA KOSTER
Big Title
DESIGNING A POSTER FOR THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS
Artigo 19 is a communication design project exploring Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the right to freedom of expression, within the Portuguese context.
The project responds to a lack of empowering visual narratives around free speech by bringing historical voices into the present. Through a participatory poster, it connects past struggles for expression with a contemporary call to action, encouraging reflection and dialogue in public space.
ROLE
Communication Designer
Research
Concept development
Visual storytelling
Participatory design
CONTEXT
UN Human Rights Exhibition
Belas Artes x UN Human Rights Council
Spring 2023
METHODS
Research
Visual research on freedom of speech representations
Analysis of historical speeches
Synthesis
Clustering quotes
Translation of historical content
Design
Participatory poster design
Public space communication
TEAM
Luisa Koster
Mentor
Suzana Parreira
OUTCOME
A participatory poster designed as a speech bubble composed of historical quotes.
A central call to action. “You say…”, invites viewers to reflect on their own voice today. Exhibited in November 2023 in the Baixa subway station in Lisbon.
CONTEXT
Freedom of speech is a fundamental human right and a key pillar of democratic societies. In Portugal, this right is closely tied to the country’s history of dictatorship and its transition to democracy.
This project was developed as part of a design competition organized in collaboration with Universidade de Belas-Artes and United Nations Human Rights. The competition culminated in a public exhibition at the Baixa metro station in Lisbon.
Each article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was assigned to a different designer, who was selected to create a visual contribution interpreting one specific right. This project focuses on Article 19, the right to freedom of expression.
While freedom of speech is legally protected today, public discourse often emphasizes censorship and restriction rather than the active, everyday use of this right. The project explores how historical struggles for freedom of expression can be translated into public space and connected to people’s own voices today.
Past
Authoritarian regime (Estado Novo)
• Censorship of media and speech
• Political persecution
• Silencing of opposition voices
• Limited access to information
Historical Turning Points
Democratic transition
• Carnation Revolution (1974)
• Public protests and collective voices
• Legal recognition of free speech
• Article 19 becomes a lived right
Present
Democratic society
• Freedom of expression legally protected
• Speech is available, but often passive
• Public discourse dominated by conflict or silence
• Limited visibility of individual voices in public space
CHALLENGE
Freedom of speech is a fundamental right and legally protected in Portugal.
However, its presence in everyday public space is often limited and abstract.
Visual communication around this right tends to focus on censorship, conflict, or historical struggle. As a result, freedom of expression is frequently framed as a past achievement or a distant political concept rather than something rooted in the present.
The challenge lies in making freedom of speech visible and relevant in contemporary public space, without reducing it to conflict-driven or purely historical narratives.
PROBLEMS
Freedom of speech is often communicated through negative or restrictive narratives.
This framing reinforces the idea that freedom of expression is primarily under threat, rather than something actively practiced, which can distance people from seeing their own role within it.
Historical struggles for expression are disconnected from everyday life today.
When freedom of speech is presented mainly as a historical achievement, it risks losing relevance for contemporary audiences and being perceived as finished rather than ongoing.
Public space rarely reflects freedom of speech as an ongoing, living right.
Without visible and relatable representations in everyday environments, freedom of expression remains abstract and disconnected from people’s daily experiences.
Research Question:
How can communication design prompt people to think about freedom of speech as an opportunity, in public space?
RESEARCH
The research focused on understanding how freedom of speech has been communicated in Portugal and how public communication can prompt reflection rather than passive consumption.
First, existing visual representations of freedom of speech were analyzed. This revealed a dominance of narratives centered on censorship, oppression, and historical struggle, with limited focus on empowerment or present-day relevance.
Second, historical speeches and statements related to Portugal’s transition from dictatorship to democracy were examined. These voices highlighted how freedom of expression was actively claimed, used, and defended, rather than passively granted.
Finally, the research explored how communication in public space can trigger moments of reflection. Particular attention was given to formats that slow people down, invite interpretation, and create cognitive gaps rather than delivering fixed messages.
QUOTE COLLECTION
METHODS
Visual Research
Analysis of existing posters and visual communication around freedom of speech in Portugal, with a focus on tone, framing, and dominant narratives.
Content Analysis
Collection and analysis of historical speeches, statements, and legal milestones related to freedom of expression during Portugal’s transition to democracy.
Clustering & Synthesis
Grouping historical voices into thematic clusters to identify recurring messages, values, and shifts in discourse.
THE CLUSTERS
KEY INSIGHTS
1. Freedom of speech is often communicated through restrictive or conflict-driven narratives.This framing positions the right as something under threat, rather than something people actively relate to.
2. Historical struggles for freedom of expression are commonly presented as closed chapters of the past. This creates distance and limits their relevance for contemporary audiences.
3. Messages in public space are frequently consumed passively and quickly. Communication that delivers a fixed statement leaves little room for personal interpretation or reflection.
4. Historical voices carry emotional and political weight.
When detached from explanation or instruction, they can invite interpretation rather than dictate meaning.
DESIGN CRITERIA
Insight: Freedom of speech is often framed through restriction or conflict.
Insight: Historical struggles are perceived as distant and completed.
Insight: Public space communication is often passively consumed.
Insight: Historical voices can prompt reflection when left open to interpretation.
The communication should avoid negative or fear-based narratives and focus on visibility rather than threat.
The communication should bring historical voices into the present without treating them as closed historical facts.
The communication should create a moment of pause and reflection rather than delivering a fixed message.
The communication should use historical content in a way that invites thinking instead of providing conclusions.
DESIGN DECISIONS
The following design decisions translate the research insights and design criteria into concrete communication choices.
The project was developed to exist in two complementary formats:
a physical poster in public space and a digital social media carousel shared via United Nations Human Rights. While the poster addresses passersby in an everyday, non-curated environment, the social media format extends the project’s reach and situates the content within contemporary digital discourse.
Both formats follow the same intention: prompting reflection on freedom of speech rather than delivering a fixed message. The design decisions ensure consistency across physical and digital space while adapting to different modes of attention and engagement.
FROM CRITERIA TO DECISIONS
The communication should avoid negative or fear-based narratives and focus on visibility rather than threat.
The project highlights individual historical voices to show how much impact a single voice can have. By presenting personal statements rather than abstract slogans, the design invites viewers to consider the conditions under which these words were originally spoken and to reflect on what has changed since then and what has not.
The communication should bring historical voices into the present without treating them as closed historical facts.
Each quote includes its date and speaker to anchor it in a specific moment in Portugal’s history. This allows viewers to consider what the social and political context may have been at the time and to compare it with the present, making the right feel relevant beyond a purely historical narrative.
MATERIAL DECISION: WHY POST ITS?
Post-it notes were chosen as the primary material.
Reasoning:
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Post-its are associated with notes, thoughts, and reminders rather than finished statements.
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Their temporary nature reflects speech as something changeable yet impactful.
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The material avoids institutional authority and lowers the threshold for engagement
REFLECTION MECHANISM
A single post-it in the center displays the current year and the words “You say…”.
How reflection is triggered:
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Historical voices form the surrounding speech bubble.
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The unfinished statement shifts focus to the present.
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Viewers are invited to mentally complete the message without being instructed to act.
Reflection emerges through contrast between past voices and an open present moment.
The communication should create a moment of pause and reflection rather than delivering a fixed message.
The poster is composed of many small text fragments that require closer reading, slowing down perception in a fast-paced public environment.
The communication should use historical content in a way that invites thinking instead of providing conclusions.
At the center of the poster, a single post-it displays the current year and the phrase “You say…”.
Surrounded by historical quotes, this open call shifts attention from past voices to the present moment, inviting viewers to reflect on what they would say today and how their voice relates to freedom of speech now.
INTERVENTION
Research Question:
How can communication design prompt people to think about freedom of speech in public space?
In this project, reflection is prompted by placing historical voices in direct contrast with the present.
Dated quotes make past expressions of free speech visible, while the central “You say…” leaves the present intentionally open. This temporal contrast encourages viewers to compare different moments in time and consider their own position today, without being instructed what to think or do.
PUBLIC POSTER
A large-format poster was installed in the Baixa metro station in Lisbon.Historical quotes related to freedom of speech are presented on individual post-it notes and arranged into a speech bubble. Each quote includes its year, anchoring it in a specific historical moment.
At the center, a single post-it displays the current year and the phrase “You say…”, creating a temporal contrast between past voices and the present. The format allows viewers to compare different moments in time and reflect on their own position today.
SOCIAL MEDIA CAROUSEL
The poster was adapted into a social media carousel shared via United Nations Human Rights.
Each slide isolates a single quote, maintaining its historical date, before leading back to the central “You say…” prompt. This format extends the project beyond the exhibition space and situates the reflection within contemporary digital discourse, where freedom of speech is actively negotiated.
EFFECT
For the Public
Encourages people to reflect on freedom of speech and consider their own voice by confronting historical expressions with an open present in everyday public space.
For Organizations
Demonstrates how communication design can address fundamental rights without didactic messaging, using openness and contrast to stimulate critical thinking rather than delivering fixed statements.
For Society
Contributes to keeping freedom of speech visible as a living right by linking past expressions with contemporary contexts and public discourse.
Open Question:
How can reflective communication formats around human rights remain relevant and engaging beyond a single exhibition or campaign?