Long gone are the days of Thomas Paine fomenting revolution with incendiary pamphlets. Today he’d probably have a blog. In an attempt to restore the power of pamphleteering, a New York nonprofit group called the Center for Urban Pedagogy is connecting activists and graphic designers for Making Policy Public, a biannual series of pamphlets to address critical issues.

In a primer on cargo supply chains, for example, a color-coded chart graphically links your made-in-China iPod with the tugboat captains and dockworkers who brought it to you. By giving people information, MPP hopes “to empower people to investigate policies on their own, to become active citizens,” says Rosten Woo, the Center’s executive director.

A jury of advocates and designers will choose the next topics. Possible submissions may include anything from government surveillance to the private-equity boom. The revolution will be printed.