Design, as the professional field we know it today, has been shaped by standards established by Western powers. The norms, best practices, and unwritten rules of design observed by a majority of modern-day designers carry with them an unsavory history of disempowerment, erasure, and silencing. As designers, how can we challenge this Western-centric perspective and create a more equitable future for design?
This site hosts a collection of articles that serve as a call to reflect on our roles as designers within a society powered by systems of oppression. In doing so, we must begin the process of decolonization: in this case, freeing our preconceived notions of design from the dominating influence of Western ideals. With decolonization comes reckoning with our biases, reclaiming agency, and transforming the practice into one that is all-inclusive, thereby uplifting the voices of marginalized designers.
"Design Thinking is a Rebrand for White Supremacy," written by designer Darin Buzon, critiques the concept of Design Thinking and how it fails to address the underlying issues of capitalism and colonialism in design. The reading reckons with uncomfortable truths and highlights the need to address the role design plays in perpetuating systemic inequality, centering criticality and accountability in design practices.
Written by Jen Wang, “Now You See It: Helvetica, Modernism, and the Status Quo of Design” delves into the intersection of graphic design, Modernism, and racial dynamics, using Helvetica as both a symbol and a lens to examine how design reflects and perpetuates white cultural hegemony. It focuses on reclaiming agency and perspectives in the form of cultural, intellectual, and physical spaces connected to design.
This article, written by educator Kristina Ketola Bore, asks the question “How will We Queer Design Education Without Compromise?” by discussing the need to expand the way theory is approached in design education. In her call to reframe existing structures of power and knowledge, the author advocates to transform how design is being taught—believing that diverse histories, cultures, and identities should be at the core of design education.