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 Design Gets More Diverse by Alice Rawsthorn, NYTimes, 2011
One observation that stood out in this week’s reading was that design operated more exclusively rather than inclusively in the 20th century. The standard of design had been set during a very segregated era, while some people of color were prohibited access to learn much on the topic of design. Even some of the most revolutionary icons in the black community like W.E.B. DuBois and Buddy Esquire had to teach themselves how to become artists. Many others probably had to as well and consequently stayed underground due to the rules and regulations of design that were already placed by powerhouses like the Bauhaus.
So overall, design resources haven’t been accessible to people of color in the 20th century. As design entered a new century, change has been made and a cycle, broken. Rather than remaining exclusive, the design community has become more inclusive and catering to people of all types. More specifically, the process of becoming a designer has become a lot more accessible, yet change is still needed.
In 20 years, we may see everyone start with a clean slate. Designers will profit over the look of their art rather than how the designer looks. We saw that change in music during the 70s. As the disco era thrived, so did norms. Soul Train Awards started to have their own dance lines. Clothing made by people of color were heavily worn by everyone. Artists like the Jackson 5 or Earth, Wind, and Fire grew in popularity. Most of all, the disco era led us into the early days of rap and hip-hop. Today, the hip-hop and rap genres are the most listened to in the United States. We’ve come full circle here. We could see something similar happen in the world of graphic design in 20 years or so. As design becomes more involved with technology, everyone has become sort-of clueless to what may happen in the design world. In a way, we may see more and more people of color and different genders become leaders in their field. We may see design become exclusive to the idea of inclusivity.
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