As we start to wrap up the “groundwork” of design theory (where revolutionary ideas evolved into mainstream modernism and corporate commercial design), let’s take moment to consider that in the history of design, not every story gets told. Why?
You will be reading and annotating three essays written by Madeleine Morley, Silas Munro, and Alice Rawsthorn looking at the lack of diversity in the design field and relatedly, design history.
Read and annotate Celebrating the African-American Practitioners Absent From Way Too Many Classroom Lectures by Madeleine Morley, Eye on Design, 2018, Typography as a Radical Act in an Industry Ever-dominated by White Men by Silas Munro, Eye on Design, 2019 and Design Gets More Diverse by Alice Rawsthorn, NYTimes, 2011 with your classmates in our Hypothesis group COMD3504_OL08.
Questions
- How do we change the commercial design field to include a diversity of voices and visions?
- What will the commercial design field and the study of design history look like in 20 years?
To transform the commercial design industry to incorporate a variety of voices and perspectives, then incorporate the ideas into the design industry The design community frequently ignores diverse designers, though not always intentionally, because not enough consideration is given to those designs or designers. In addition, add more people from different backgrounds such as the Black, Latinx, Asian communities to help reach a wide variety of audiences. Doing this design can be relatable and achievable to people who did not believe have a chance in the graphic design field. Seeing people like themselves in the field makes people what to try it out. Especially if the education has a segment focusing on people of color designer since the graphic design history is predominantly of white designers and how they change the industry.
Commercial design and design history studies in the next 20 years would be more inclusive. Even now, firms are attempting to appeal to the inclusion of people from many backgrounds to influence the way information is consumed. There would be new history books that include topics about the designer of people of color and their take on typography and design. In the design field, you would see more diverse companies incorporating ideas that appeal more a wide range of audiences. There would be an increase in the number of designers who are people of color due to the inclusion that was implemented in graphic design history. Even so, we still have a long way to go to make successful changes with the industry as a whole.
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