Vernon Lockhart

Have you picked up on the connection between this month’s guests? It can be easy to look at the advocacy work and projects around diversity in design and think it’s a new movement, but the reality is that the work is built on the shoulders and legacy of Black designers like Vernon Lockhart. As an artist, creative therapist, and the executive director of Project Osmosis, Vernon has worked hard to empower the next generation of designers through education for at least the past 20 years.

We spoke about Vernon’s creative therapy practice, Art on the Loose, and he shared how his time growing up in Chicago, attending SAIC, and becoming involved with the Organization of Black Designers helped build the foundation for Project Osmosis. We also talked about respectability politics, the trap of “diversity”, and his plans for bringing more design education to the south side of Chicago. Vernon Lockhart and his work are a testament to the fact that we all have the human right to be creative!

Our international design series continues here on Revision Path, and our next stop is Zurich, Switzerland! Meet Courtney Pinter, a multidisciplinary creative who currently works as a senior creative at world-renowned flavor company Givaudan. Courtney is originally from Chicago, Illinois, but has been in Zurich for several years now, so I was really excited to learn more about the Swiss design scene from her.

We started with a brief look at what it’s like to design at a company like Givaudan, and she told me how her previous work at Tampico helped prepare her for this work. We talked about the change in design sensibilities due to location, the biggest challenges she’s faced since moving there, and Courtney shared some powerful advice for designers who want to follow in her footsteps. Courtney is proof that instead of looking for examples in others, you can be the example in your own life!

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