Design generally is a massive industry that should welcome all kinds of people, no matter of race, gender, sexuality or religious background. Despite this, there is an ignorable fact that African American designers have been getting the short end of the stick. A theory that I have is that there is a lack of design opportunities presented to them, making an interest in this field almost non-existent. Joel Towers seems to have a similar thought, stating, “Mr. Towers blames the scarcity of arts education in U.S. public schools, and poor perceptions of careers in art and design… He believes that African-American students, even those from affluent backgrounds, are also discouraged by the dearth of black role models.” However, even when this shortcoming is conquered, successful African American designers still face some form of prejudice. Every designer has different experiences. Some might not even face any form of prejudice while in this field of work, like artist Stephen Burks, but that doesn’t change the negative experiences that many other designers have faced. In his quote, he brings up the lack of black role models in the industry which can implement hesitation in the minds of young, inspiring black designers. This can be very unmotivating as it sends a negative message that for African Americans to achieve that top position is unlikely compared to white designers.
With the advancement of digital technology, people from different cultural backgrounds are emerging with contrasting designs, giving birth to new and fresh faces around the design field. But this is only the start. To bring about a change in the commercial design field, we must dig deeper. I think some steps the design industry can take are to make initiatives towards diverse representation in design firms, starting from the top. This allows minority designers and students to see someone who represents them in a senior role in firms, someone that they can look at and aspire to be. If diversity isn’t present, then minority people will be less motivated to work in that field. Hopefully, through hard work, perseverance, and addressing this issue straight-forward, we can recognize that there is a problem in this field regarding diversity and that it needs to be handled. By addressing it we are paving a way for future minority students and designers looking to work and be successful in this field. They will see more people like them in senior positions and will aspire to be as successful as them.
Good points Matthew, you’re thinking broadly about the topic by giving suggestions
is this an ignorable fact? “there is an ignorable fact that African American designers have been getting the short end of the stick.”