Overview
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 an essay written by Silas Munro, looking at the lack of diversity in the design field and, relatedly, design history.
Read and annotate Typography as a Radical Act in an Industry Ever-dominated by White Men by Silas Munro, Eye on Design, 2019 with your classmates in our Hypothesis group.
Due Date(s)
Your reading response is due the day before the next session to allow time for review.
Instructions
1. Open the reading & enable Hypothesis.
In a new tab open the essay Typography as a Radical Act in an Industry Ever-dominated by White Men by Silas Munro, Eye on Design, 2019
If the reading link above doesn’t automatically open Hypothesis, use the Paste a Link feature. Login to your account and select our group COMD Theory Fall2023 Group (IMPORTANT!) from the dropdown to make sure your annotations and highlights will be recorded in the group. See Using Hypothesis for details.
2. Consider these questions.
- What stood out to you the most in this reading?
- 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?
Take a look at the Course Resources and COMD Theory OER, especially the sections Inclusion & Exclusion and Diversity & Inclusion in Design to see if there are examples that will help support your ideas.
Also, check out:
“The Justseeds Open Type Project creates open-access fonts for activists, organizers, and movement designers. Most of the fonts are designed by members of the Justseeds Artists Cooperative, though some have been repurposed and expanded from historical posters and artifacts. The left has a rich history of hand drawn, decorative, and display fonts, a legacy that is tied into the history of sign, picket, and banner making as well as the history of accessible and low-cost printing technologies. The Justseeds Open Type Project hopes to draw upon and expand this design history by creating a library and archive of open access fonts for use.”
And the Noun Project.
“Noun Project is building a global visual language that unites us.”
3. Read & Annotate.
Consider the questions/prompts listed above. Start to formulate the answers to these questions while you practice close reading with annotations. Share at least 3 annotations in the Hypothesis group, including your questions, definitions, and ideas with your classmates. See Using Hypothesis for details. Add the tags: Diversify Design and Reading Response 5 to your annotations.
4. Draft your Reading Response.
Write a draft of your 200-word response in your Writing Portfolio. Check for grammar/spelling errors using Google Docs spell-grammar check or Grammarly. Use the word count tool too. Add a numbered or bulleted list of links to at least (3) of your Hypothesis annotations. In Hypothesis, select the Share icon and copy the URL. (see Using Hypothesis > Share)
Use links to visual examples to supplement your reading response. Consider looking back at the Learning Graphic Design History videos or the AIGA Archive to see if there are historical examples that will help support your ideas.
5. Add your Reading Response in a comment.
When ready, add a comment at the bottom of this post. Paste your reading response from your Writing Portfolio into the comment box. Adjust any formatting issues that may have occurred while pasting.
Resources
More info
- Tutorials > Using Hypothesis
- Assignments > Writing Portfolio
- OpenLab Help > Commenting on a Site
What stood out to me the most was the Eva typeface. It has a really unique feel and look and has an amazing story behind its reference. It was referenced from hand-drawn posters carried by Eva Peron at a women’s demonstration. I also found it very interesting immediately because “Duarte” is my mother’s maiden name. When it comes to the commercial design field, we could change how secretive a lot of designers are in terms of opportunities in the field. I believe the design field in 20 years will be heavily reliant on artificial intelligence.
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Design is about finding solutions to human problems. In this scenario the problem was the lack of diversity in design, more specifically type. To address this, designer Tré Seals founded Vocal Type, a type foundry dedicated to telling graphic design stories that are often overlooked or simply not included. Using type to “reflect a more diverse perspective” that included the stories of people of color and women (Munro). The Civil Rights, Women’s Suffrage, National Chicano Moratorium and LGBTQ+ movements were some sources of inspiration for the type foundry. What I find most interesting is how easily it is to be inclusive and how many art movements are sparked by or used for social change. For example, one of the ideals of Futurism is rejection of the past in favor of the modern world. While not completely disregarding the history of graphic design, this type foundry is finding ways of making type more suitable for the present. And in a kind of counter to Futurism, designers are looking to history to see how graphic design can be improved to make all designers, regardless of background, feel a part of something. And in order to change the commercial design field we must make sure our communities know that their story matters. Their story can fit with what we consider to be “conventional” design. This is a call to all designers to not just be complacent and regurgitate information that we all know but to add to it.
I look at myself as a key element to this change, in everything that I do I try to add pieces of my identity, I try to open the doors for conversation with my fellow designers to share their stories. And in my research project I hope to share my passion and enthusiasm with you all for design.
What I found most interesting is that letterforms are loaded with culture and reflect the story of the people who designed them or the narrative they want to tell. I used to believe that letterforms or typefaces were designed purely for functionality, to improve readability or meet stylistic requirements.
To make commercial design more inclusive, companies can actively recruit and hire more designers from diverse backgrounds, seek input from underrepresented communities when developing products, and support innovative projects like Vocal Type that are expanding the boundaries of the field.
I strongly believe that in 20 years, design will be more diverse and inclusive, though perhaps reliant in some ways on AI. While technology will continue reshaping design, I feel there will always be a need for human intervention and perspective.
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What stood out to me the most in this reading is that Seals views typography as more than a practical tool, for him type is a main character in the story of visual language and identity deeply rooted in graphic design and branding. For some reason, I find this incredibly inspiring and motivational. Changing the commercial design field to include diverse voices and visions is an important goal for promoting creativity, inclusivity, and representation. The steps that I believe we can take to foster a more diverse and inclusive design industry are to encourage diversity in design education by offering scholarships, mentorship programs, and outreach efforts to underrepresented communities, ensure that design materials (imagery, fonts, color palettes, etc.) reflect a diverse range of cultures and experiences, collaborate with communities and organizations from underrepresented backgrounds to co-create authentic and respectful designs of their culture and values, highlight and celebrate successful design projects that involve diverse teams and have made a positive impact. Predicting the future with certainty is challenging, but we can make some educated guesses about how the commercial design field and the study of design history might evolve in the next 20 years based on current trends and emerging technologies. It’s important to note that these are speculative trends, and the actual developments in the commercial design field and the study of design history will depend on a range of factors, including technological advancements, societal shifts, and cultural developments.
Annotation: 1 https://hyp.is/joQOfG36Ee6j_Vevoa041Q/eyeondesign.aiga.org/tre-seals-is-turning-typography-into-a-radical-act/
Annotation: 2 https://hyp.is/y-60Vm36Ee6e1J-efOIHhg/eyeondesign.aiga.org/tre-seals-is-turning-typography-into-a-radical-act/
Annotation: 3 https://hyp.is/eBy-rm36Ee6tVUek6zj9nA/eyeondesign.aiga.org/tre-seals-is-turning-typography-into-a-radical-act/
What stood out to me the most in this reading was how it got me to think about how impactful our personal experiences and typography can be, even as a design student. It is easy to take type for granted and not consider who designed it and what their experiences were like in order to get them to produce their final work. I always tend to carry the notion that most professional spaces are made up of predominantly white men but it was quite shocking to learn that graphic design is 93% white. I have also always known that it usually takes someone or a group of people who feel underrepresented in a field to take initiative to create their own spaces in which others who also identify with them can contribute, collaborate and express their personal vision without judgment. I would be lying if I said the answer to this is simple. The commercial design field can be changed or at least challenged to include a diversity of voices and visions by challenging the norms of what is expected in the graphic design field. It goes back to several art movements that chose to question who gets to decide what art is and why they get to decide. Creating spaces for ourselves is one way but the reality of diversifying a field starts with challenging their expectations, which can be exhausting. Diversifying workplaces has been a recurring challenge throughout history but it has been done before and can continue to be done.
The commercial design field and the study of design history in 20 years may encompass more than just the top 5 male designers in history. Everyone has something to contribute and although it may not be possible to get through all of those who have been involved in design, it is still important to mention them. Classes, professional spaces and public spaces are filled with individuals who want to be able to relate to the people influencing their lives even if it is on a miniscule level.
I appreciated reading about Tre Seals and the Vocal Type foundry. I enjoyed hearing about how he sources inspiration, including receiving a variety of visual inspiration via a supportive online community. Through social platforms via Pinterest and Instagram, he is able to source visual inspiration from photographs, archives of signs, and other historical materials. The foundry has created typefaces and has been inspired by different historical events, including the women’s suffrage movement in Argentina, which inspired the typeface Eva after Eva PerĂłn. The typeface Martin was inspired by signs created in the wake of Dr Martin Luther King’s death and the well-known Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike signs that read “I Am A Man.” He was also inspired by the early infographic designs created by WEB DuBois and his students that were displayed at the 1900 World Fair in Paris. He also took inspiration from the 1969 LGBTQ riots of Stonewall to create the typeface of the same name.
Designers of color have historically had limited access to design tools and resources. As more folks have access to these tools and the ability to express their voice, it is important to make sure to go back and help young up and coming designers to make their path easier to cross.
As the technologies and software continue to change and incorporate the use of AI, it’s important to continue to teach students the foundational information of design but keep them abreast with developing technology. It’s also important not to overload students with antiquated information that might not be relevant. Organizations like AIGA are constantly sourcing information about emerging technologies, tools, and information to keep institutions up to date. This will help prepare students to learn and adapt as the world of design changes.
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Something that stood out the most to me in this reading was the inspiration for the typefaces in the reading. I didn’t know that the typeface “Martin” was named after Martin Luther King, it surprised me to see that typefaces were named after historical figures. Another thing was that not only did they take inspiration from historical figures, but they also created typefaces for other groups like women’s suffrage and LGBTQ. It never came to my mind that race would be a problem in the creative world. I think we can change the commercial design field to include a diversity of voices and visions by giving education to people no matter what race or gender. We should also spread more awareness about this situation and put it out to the public, I would have never known about this if I never read about it. Designers of color had limited access to the tools or knowledge compared to other designers who were not of color. Because of this, we don’t see as many fonts and types created by these designers. We can support these designers of color by sharing their work in communities. Hopefully, in 20 years, the commercial design field and the study of design history will be somewhat better than what happened in the past.
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After reading the article on typography, I found that the link between this industry and culture is very complex. It was dominated by white people, so Tre Seals wanted to make a change and create a type foundry. Here, he gave the opportunity for designers to have their say in the industry without having to worry about their backgrounds. This shows that typefaces aren’t just a tool for design, but also a tool for evoking a message. Seals was important in allowing for more representation of underrepresented communities and cultures. In order to create change today for commercial design to include the diversity of others, we need people to be more educated about design and its power to evoke. As said in the article, design is subliminal, and using this we can include different perspectives from different people. Seals quote “If consumers understood design half as much as they understand technology, they’d be able to make better conscious (and possibly world-changing) decisions,” perfectly explains how if people were aware of designs power, people would take advantage of this as they do with technology to bring awareness to the underrepresented cultures. I believe that with more people becoming aware of problems in society and working for change, the commercial design field will transform. In 20 years, I believe that we will see even more diverse styles of designs that show the culture and history from around the world. If we highlight the fact that design is “notorious for its racial homogeneity” and explain how design is a powerful tool, change is inevitable.
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What stood out to me the most in this reading is the importance of telling stories in design, and the importance of authorship. Design is fundamentally human and can never be entirely subjective. Designers consciously and subconsciously seep into their work, making identity and authorship important. Tre Seal’s type foundry Vocal Type, elevates perspectives that typically go unseen in the design community.
In order for change to happen in the commercial design field we need to start diversifying our design education. Many designers of the future are currently learning primarily about Bauhaus, Swiss Style, and Paul Rand as the holy grail of historical design. We need to look beyond Euro-centric art and design movements so that the industry as a whole can see the value in incorporating a diverse set of styles and design ideologies. We need to elevate perspectives that historically haven’t been heard or seen.
In the next 20 years I hope that the commercial design field and the study of design become a more accurate reflection of the population that it speaks to on a daily basis, and that a wide diversity of perspectives are present in every aspect of the discipline.
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One thing that stood out to me in this reading is its racial homogeneity and the industries dominated by white men. “Vocal’s own site clocks the profession at 84% white, and AIGA’s 2017 Design Census puts it at 60%. This has been a conversation in the field even before Dr. Cheryl D. Holmes-Miller called out the profession in her 1991 article for the AIGA Journal, “Why is Graphic Design 93% White?” Paragraph 4 of the article Typography as a Radical Act in an Industry Ever-dominated by White Men. we could change the diversity by not limiting to diversifying typographic voices to solely ideas around race; seals created typefaces like Carrie, a sans serif that honors women’s suffrage in the United States; Eva, created for the suffrage movement in Argentina, and Stonewall to recognize the LGBTQ 1969 riots at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York City. Seals recently completed a suite of custom typefaces for Umber, an Oakland, California-based printed publication that focuses on creative culture and visual arts from the perspective of people of color. For its third issue themed “Sound,” Vocal crafted a typeface based on remnants from the first all-black-owned record label, Broome Special Phonograph Records, plus a family of six weights based on sound waves.
What stood out the most for me from this article is the main topic which is the lack of diversity in the Typography field. Overall in many fields, there is a lack of diversity, and I never gave thought to the lack of diversity in design overall. Seals noticed this and created the Foundry Type Voices to give notice to minorities and happenings that often go overlooked. I think in order to amplify minority voices, we need to be more cognizant of the lack of it in various fields and go out of our way to include these. This reminds me a bit of stock photography, how the majority of stock photography that includes people lacks variety especially when it comes to race. Stock photography that is used in projects also lacks this and I remember reading somewhere that the author (can’t remember who right now) went out of their way to include stock photography of minorities to increase visibility. I think if we as future designers keep this in mind we can amplify the voices of underrepresented groups. I think this is something that can be overlooked easily and the fact that Seals created this Foundry to bring attention to this is very important and a step in the right direction.