Reading and hearing more about Afro-futurism and Black Dada as contemporary extensions of their historical counterparts was great. I have been curious, looking into the decolonizing design movement after seeing a poster in the hall at school. 

If the idea is to transform dominant Eurocentric frameworks by incorporating diverse cultural perspectives, to challenge power structures, to call for representational equity, by and for the people being served, as well as to create social justice, then this movement is not just about introducing new sets of grids or tools. Instead, it will change the design process at its roots, using multiple, inclusive cultural systems and knowledge bases. Just because a system is called intuitive doesn’t mean it will be used or experienced the same way by all people. “Intuitive” is a cultural test. It requires much of us to decode the coded meanings. 

One way cultural change is moving forward is by amplifying other culture’s organizing principles and beginning to use them to think about design. There is scholarship around some traditional African village structures ultimately being tessellations and fractals. 

I have tried to do some relaxing of my ego, some looking beyond the grid I was raised to believe was the only “good” design. It is such a relief. 

Here is a carp I did in watercolors and put into a speculative magazine cover for Print. I was upset about an issue with a 3-D printer, a gatekeeper, and my inability to effectively communicate. I went to art club, seeking community. My professor handed me watercolors, I told him my woes, he shot an email I didn’t even know he sent, and I had a nice carp. Then I found out I was going to get to print after all! Community is a great basis for design. 

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