In 1991, AIGA organized a working conference titled “Why is Graphic Design 93% White? Removing Barriers to Increase Opportunities in Graphic Design”. And over 25 years later, we’re still trying to come up with the answer.
Diversity is a hot topic in the design community. Conferences promise to do better every year after unveiling all-White speaker panels. Design-driven companies in Silicon Valley like Twitter report only two percent of their US-based employees are Black. And between magazines, podcasts, and other media, the field of design can look like a monoculture.
How do we fix this? Can we fix this? And what is the overall benefit of diversifying the design industry? I explored these questions and more in the presentation below. This presentation was originally given at SXSW Interactive on March 14, 2015.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!