How It Works

1: Call for Designers

Each year, artists and designers are invited to apply to the Public Access Design Fellowship. A jury made up of leaders in the design and advocacy communities will select a small group of Design Fellows to join the yearlong program.

2: Call for Project Proposals

Community organizers and advocates, working to break down complex policy and planning issues for their constituents, are invited to submit project proposals during two open calls throughout the year. Twice a year, a jury reviews applications and selects one to two project proposals to be part of the Public Access Design program. 

3: Pair a Project with a Fellow

One Design Fellow, based on their portfolio and application, is selected by the same jury to collaborate on a project. The Fellow then has the opportunity, based on their interest and availability, to take on (or pass on) the project.

4: Collaborate

CUP manages the collaboration and provides design and production support as needed throughout the project’s four- to six-month time frame. These short turnaround times allow Public Access Design projects to respond to organizers’ needs for communication tools on pressing issues as they arise.

5: Print and Distribute

Each project is both an educational tool and a showcase for innovative design. CUP covers production costs, such as editing and printing, based on a scope of work mutually agreed upon at the beginning of the project. At the end of each project, advocacy partners are provided with 1,000 copies to distribute directly to their constituents. CUP also distributes and promotes all final projects on our website, at CUP events, and through our network of supporters in the fields of art and design.  

Collaborators can choose from four media formats, each designed to work with partner organizations’ needs and to be easily completed within the short project time frame. Currently, the options are:

Community Organizations and Advocacy Groups

CUP welcomes applications from community organizations and advocacy groups who have a pressing issue that is affecting their constituency and that would benefit from a visual explanation. Advocates can find out more about the program here.

Emerging Artists and Designers 

CUP welcomes applications from emerging artists and designers (individuals and teams!) from a variety of disciplines who are interested in applying their skills to collaborative projects that use inventive design to contribute to social change. Designers participate in the program through CUP’s Public Access Design Fellowship. Designers can find out more about the Fellowship here.

We want to uplift designers who identify with communities that have been historically marginalized in the design professions. We encourage designers who identify with those groups to apply, including but not limited to people of color, people from low-income, LGBTQ+, immigrant communities, formerly incarcerated people, and others.