In our recent community conversation we looked at recent examples of how design has subtly (and sometimes not-so-subtly) perpetuated stereotypes, prejudices, and racism. Design is all around us and we all participate in the system as either creators or consumers, by learning how to think more critically about design, we can challenge societal norms in our own work.
Below is a list of resources, sources, and references we used in our presentation:
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
H&M Controversy and “Monkey Racism” History
H&M faced backlash over its ‘monkey’ sweatshirt ad. It isn’t the company’s only controversy | The Washington Post
Discrimination against blacks linked to dehumanization, study finds | Stanford News
Comparing black people to monkeys has a long, dark simian history | The Conversation
Now that Danny Baker’s been fired by the BBC, a brief history of ‘monkey racism’ | gal-dem.com
Kodak
How Kodak’s Shirley Cards Set Photography’s Skin-Tone Standard | NPR
How 20th Century Camera Film Captured a Snapshot of American Bias | TIME
A brief history of color photography reveals an obvious but unsettling reality about human bias. | UpWorthy
Color film was built for white people. Here’s what it did to dark skin. | Vox/YouTube
Cheerios
Vitriol Online for Cheerios Ad With Interracial Family | The New York Times
An American Family Returns to the Table | The New York Times
Barbie
Racist Figures
Quaker Oats to Retire Aunt Jemima After Acknowledging Brand’s Origins as ‘Racial Stereotype’ | Smithsonian Magazine
R.T. Davis Exhibit | Chicagology
‘Eskimo Pie’ Owner Calls Brand ‘Derogatory,’ Vows to Change Name | Rolling Stone
Inuit or Eskimo? Which Name to Use | Alaska Native Language Center
Indo-American Teens End Racist Logo of “Mahatma Rice” from Houston’s Riviana Foods | Indo-American News
The Red on Yellow — Chiquita’s Banana Colonialism in Latin America | David B Lauterwasser, Medium
From ‘NEVER’ to Name Change, How Dan Snyder Lost Redskins Battle | Newsweek
Maps
The True Size of Africa | Kai Krause
Are your maps racially biased? | The Concordian
Why Map Historians Are Annoyed With Boston Public Schools | Atlas Obscura
The Problem With Our Maps | Visual Capitalist
Diversity, Design, and Bias
More Evidence That Company Diversity Leads To Better Profits | Forbes
equityXdesign | Medium
A brief history of how racism manifests itself in design and how we can learn from it. | UX Planet
W.E.B. Du Bois’ Visionary Infographics Come Together for the First Time in Full Color | Smithsonian Magazine
The designer who illustrated racism, inequality, and black life in America, 120 years ago | Fast Company
Book of W. E. B. Du Bois’s Data Portraits | PA Press
Harvard Implicit Bias Test | Harvard
Implicit Biases toward Race and Sexuality Have Decreased | Scientific American
Combatting Unconscious Bias in Design | UX Design
Why We Need Universal Design | Michael Nesmith, TEDxBoulder
The 7 Principles of Universal Design | National Disability Authority
Design for Diversity™(D4D) Framework | Inkblot, The Creative Independent
Organizations working to increase representation:
AIGA DC Design Continuum Fund (or the scholarship for your local AIGA Chapter)
Stock Resources
Tetra Images (purchased Blend)
Creative Commons (Be aware of copyright issues, the need for model releases, etc. Always read and follow the end user license agreement)