Typography as a Radical Act in an Industry Ever-dominated by White Men by Silas Munro, Eye on Design, 2019

Prompts

  • 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?

Response

For me stood out more that AIGA’s 2017 Design Census puts it at 60%. Because it is startling to witness such a dearth of variation in typography in a field populated by creative and different individuals. It brings to light the gaps in opportunity, access, and recognition that exist within the sector, and it is crucial that we keep talking about this and work to develop a more equitable and diverse sector.

  1. Ensure that all candidates are treated fairly and equally during the recruiting process for design roles.
  2. Provide persons from underrepresented backgrounds the chance to be mentored in order to help them develop the abilities and self-assurance necessary to thrive in the industry.
  3. Ensure that the design workforce is varied in terms of age, ability, gender, color, and ethnicity.
  4. Encourage a diverse workplace where all team members can work together and communicate freely.
  5. Hold frequent seminars and workshops to talk about concerns of inclusion and diversity in design.
  6. Push businesses to diversify their design teams on the front end.
  7. Include various viewpoints in design initiatives.
  8. Highlight the creative efforts of designers from marginalized groups.
  9. Provide designers the chance to showcase their work to a larger audience.
  10. Create fellowship and mentoring programs expressly for designers from backgrounds that are underrepresented.

In 20 years, the area of commercial design and the study of design history will most certainly appear very different. Designers will probably keep utilizing cutting-edge technologies to produce captivating and ground-breaking designs. Together with the use of virtual and augmented reality to create immersive experiences, there will probably be a greater emphasis on sustainability and green design. Moreover, designers will probably be required to have a deeper knowledge of design history and be able to integrate it into more contemporary design ideas. Aspects from disciplines like sociology, anthropology, and psychology will probably be incorporated into the study of design history, making it more interdisciplinary.