ma graphic communication design explores how the production of knowledge is intertwined with its form, context, and circulation. the course takes an expanded approach to the idea of research, combining studio and writing practice to engage critically with graphic design as both a creative practice and a subject of study. through iterative and open-ended experimentation with visual media and tools of communication, students develop work that investigates existing knowledge, activates positions, and projects new forms of knowledge—within and beyond the discipline. engaging with studio and writing practice as a form of rigorous enquiry, students and staff together explore how graphic design is a situated and relational discipline that both reflects and reconfigures its cultural, social, and environmental conditions. from this position, our community of practitioners critically interrogates the academic and professional contexts for practice as well as the very nature of the discipline itself, continually co-defining and re-defining the expanding field of graphic design. ma graphic communication design, along with ba graphic communication design and a small group of phd students, is part of the graphic communication design programme. in addition to sharing an academic team and studio spaces, the programme offers a range of extracurricular events, lectures, live briefs, and other activities. engaging with climate, racial and social justice in the graphic communication design community at central saint martins the accelerating climate and ecological emergency is exposing the unsustainability and injustice of the political, social, and economic systems that have created them. an overarching goal for our programme community has necessarily become to question how graphic communication design practices can critique and intervene in the systems of extraction and exploitation that have led us to the brink of collapse. historically, graphic design has serviced various imbalanced power structures, and in this way, has contributed to perpetuating climate, racial and social injustices. at the same time, our discipline’s media and methods provide powerful tools for negotiating and communicating the complexities of the current moment. the need for high quality and carefully nuanced communication is increasing as the complexity of intersecting crises escalates. in the context of widespread disinformation and cultures of media illiteracy, graphic communication design's capacity for enhancing existing forms of public discourse – and generating new forms – is much needed. our programme is distinct in both its scale and its diversity and is well positioned to engage with our present challenges. we will consider these kinds of questions from a range of creative perspectives: • how might graphic and communication design engage proactively with wider institutions and systems? • what role might our practices play in envisioning just and sustainable alternatives? • what is the role of communication in redefining and recreating relations between humanity and nature? as a community, we will collectively reimagine current and future role(s) for graphic communication design in the face of these urgent crises. we see this as a serious and vital challenge—the future has yet to be designed!