Good design stays with you, from viral social media infographics to bumper stickers. Pro-democracy activists in Thailand — fighting to establish essential freedoms — put this fact into practice.
No one has done as much to create the look of this movement’s look as Patcha “Phar” Chaimongkolsub; the Bangkok graphic designer has catapulted her talent to influence thousands upon thousands of Thai citizens.
Phar works with AJWS partner iLaw — Thailand’s leading pro-democracy organization, devoted to educating, engaging and mobilizing the public to join a growing movement calling for civic reform and freedom of speech and expression. Phar knows that these days, content flies by quickly, so she’s got to make her message stick.
From an early age, the 31-year-old understood the power of design to transform someone’s beliefs. She began her career in the commercial sector, but found the pursuit of consumers unfulfilling.
“I joined iLaw knowing I might make less money, but my life’s meaning would be richer,” she says.
At iLaw, Phar designs everything from stickers and t-shirts with pro-democracy slogans to fully illustrated pre-election voting guides; a wide spectrum of products successfully seeping into the Thai psyche to help people understand their country’s complex political landscape.
“The principal of iLaw’s visual language is: We’re friendly. We’re not radical. We’re not aggressive. We’re not violent. Not too leftist, not too rightist, not too difficult. Inclusivity is key. We’re welcoming everyone to read about difficult, complicated, upsetting topics,” she says. “But all of our visuals are positive; we’re bringing you in to learn, not pushing you away.”
In 2023, ahead of Thailand’s general election, iLaw sprang into action. With nearly 70 parties on the ballot, iLaw wanted to ensure that Thai people had a clear view of what each party stood for. Phar set to work designing an illustrated, educational voting guide. iLaw printed more than 120,000 copies, distributed all over the country. The theme: We learn from the past and we vote for the future.
“In Thai society, there is so much bias and misinformation,” says Phar. “We’re not here to influence your vote. We’re here to educate you. Our fight is just using facts.”
The illustrated guides were one piece of a civil society movement led by iLaw to mobilize voters – and the efforts worked resoundingly. A record 75% of Thai citizens voted in 2023, with the progressive Move Forward party receiving by far the most votes. The victory was short-lived, however; party coalitions blocked Move Forward from forming a government, and in 2024 Thailand’s Constitutional Court disbanded the party, claiming its vow to amend Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws was an attempt to topple the monarchy. These laws make it illegal to criticize the royal family, and have been used to silence dissent and imprison activists.
For Phar and her iLaw colleagues, the setback was devastating – but the fight continues.
“People are thirsting for change. The political system we’ve had until now isn’t working,” she says. “We are ready for something new.”
