INDUSTRY-WIDE RACIAL INEQUALITY

The design community and those who rely on and benefit from it have criticized the “whiteness” of the industry for decades, but have done too little to change it. Efforts made to date have largely been created from the very purview that created the problems, with organizations deploying top-down approaches, many of which include, “....let’s put a Black person in charge of this” and go about business as usual. Still others try to solve for their own internal issues with mixed results, rather than creating a pathway for large-scale change.

Simultaneously, Black and Brown designers have shared powerful stories that reveal the obstacles they’ve faced (and continue to face) in developing and applying their talents: lack of opportunity, access, advancement, support, inclusion, and empowerment. Many have set out to change these dynamics, developing resources and programs to circumvent the obstacles, yet haven’t received consistent support to have sustained, systemic impact.

BE PART OF THE SOLUTION

For the design profession to truly reflect the rich diversity of our society, an overhaul of the industry and the pathways to it are required. We start by honestly acknowledging the extraordinary racial disparities within the field, then understand and agree upon the underlying issues that have permitted and supported those disparities. Only then can we truly identify real solutions we can commit to and employ — together, rather than separately in our own silos; with our own agendas.

That’s where Impact Collaborative started — initiating conversations with the leading voices in design; those with lived experiences of “non-white” designers and those with the desire and commitment to be part of right-siding the racial inequities of the industry. Our goal: Deeply understand the challenges and barriers, the issues and people behind them, and see where we could lend our skills and expertise to be part of the solution.

TAKING ACTION

After nearly a year of research, ideation, and collaboration, Diversify by Design (D×D) was developed. Guided by a diverse and reflective Advisory Council, and supported by the leading “design-led” companies, associations, and academic institutions, D×D employs a coalition framework focused on breaking down inequities at every point in the design journey — from exposure to design, design education, and experience, to employment opportunities and empowerment throughout the ecosystem. D×D’s mandate is to tackle racial disparities by elevating proven program models and co-creating new initiatives only where solution gaps are present. By bringing together organizations that are at eye-level with the challenges faced — and companies, agencies, communities, and institutions committed to being part of the solution — D×D partners are bringing the solutions, people, and resources required to activate measurable, systemic change. Change they would be unable to deliver on their own.

Since its launch in January 2021, D×D has demonstrated the power of its collaboration through two initiatives that 1) introduce design and raise awareness of the profession as a career option to Black, Brown, and Indigenous youth through Design= and 2) provide historically-excluded design students in higher education with real-world industry experience to give them similar opportunities that their white counterparts get as a matter of course through D×D Intensives.

This is just the start of the journey. We know that while change happens in an instant, systemic change that is race-based and confronts deeply ingrained injustice has been and continues to be a protracted battle. But we know that it’s doable, no, completely achievable, when we work together. And that is what D×D is doing — in incremental steps and in leaps and bounds. Changing the future colors in design now and for the next generation of designers.

GET THE LATEST

This program is ongoing an evolving, find out what’s new at dxd.design.