As many of you know, I’m living in Ireland at the moment while working remotely for my Australian clients. I’ll be back home in Canberra full-time from early July.
So, it was a bit of a shock to open Instagram this week – and see footage of police beating and pepper spraying peaceful protesters on the streets of Sydney. That’s not the same Australia I remember being born and raised in. In fact, it more closely resembles ICE violence in Minneapolis this past January.
This solidifies my stance towards politically outspoken business conduct, and reaffirms my commitment to boycotting Israeli software in my work. This boycott has so far been successful, and I will share financial results in this post.
Summary
We are a democracy, so whether you agree or not, it is rightful for our civilians to protest a visit by Israeli president Isaac Herzog. The excessive violence used by NSW Police on this occasion has shocked and dismayed me. Australian citizens should be allowed to peacefully speak their mind without fear of violent retaliation.
Truthfully, I’m proud of those who assembled on the streets to protest the president’s visit. In particular, I’m impressed by the white Australian men coming up against police to show allyship towards Palestinians. This directly opposes the trend of young Western men becoming more conservative. It also shows integrity, and makes me optimistic for the future of Aussie men. I would like us to continue being vocal on issues such as these, in personal life and in business.
The impacts on me and my freelance design work
My business position on this matter continues to be that I must divest from all Israeli software as an economic boycott. As a freelance graphic designer of 8 years, my business, Origami Graphics, is deeply woven into my identity. To be an ethical business owner, it is my responsibility to stop using tools or processes which promote harm – even at the cost of profitability or comfort. I am also unwilling to stay quiet on these matters to avoid upsetting misaligned clients. In addition, I have felt that global sanctions on Israel (or lack thereof) have been insufficient.
So in my web design projects, I am replacing Israeli companies Wix and Elementor. Instead, I’ve learnt to design with US and Indian companies Squarespace, Brainstorm Force (Astra), and Elegant Themes (Divi) to remove revenue from Israel. In addition to site changes I’ve made for my clients, my own brand-new website will be ready for launch in about a month. Once the new site is published, Origami Graphics’ own Elementor subscription will be cancelled, too.
In numbers: how Origami Graphics’ Israeli software boycott is performing
This boycott has so far been effective.
Five websites redesigned away from Israeli tech
Since announcing this software divestment in early 2024, I have helped transition five businesses (including my own) away from Israeli-owned companies by redesigning or rebuilding their websites on alternative platforms. This resulted in my clients being able to cancel their Israeli web subscription fees.
Three new websites built from scratch using Divi instead of Elementor
In addition, I’ve also completed three brand-new WordPress website builds with Divi, instead of using my previous Israeli builder Elementor. This ensures no new Elementor subscriptions are bought by my web clients, and that their money goes to an alternative national economy.
Total boycott value: $24,000+
Assuming an average $300 annual subscription fee per website, this will stop approximately $24,000 of website builder revenue going to the Israeli economy over the next ten years. For every new website transitioned onto alternative software, that ten-year figure will rise by $3000.
So – if you don’t want your website subscription fees going to Israel, and want to join us divesting from Israeli tech – get in touch for a quote to rebuild your website. If you don’t need any design changes, platform-to-platform rebuild fees can be as low as $1200-$2000 for 1-5 page websites. You’ll also get a handy site health check, size optimisation of images, and core SEO setup process as part of the rebuild.
– Tay