Black by Design Exhibition & Symposium
This exhibition and symposium was about a thought-provoking exploration into the diverse landscape of graphic design through the lens of African American heritage and creativity. This one-day event highlighted the significant contributions of Black designers, addressed sociopolitical and cultural issues inherent in design practices, and fostered meaningful dialogue. The collaborative conversations in this event aimed to ideate and drive positive change for the future of the design industry.
Moodboard & Color Palette Inspiration
Typefaces
Rough Sketches
Final Posters
Embrace Black Heritage
The objective of this poster was to choose an element from Black cultural heritage and show how it has influenced contemporary Black design.
My first poster is based on the concept of contemporary jewelry designers using African patterns and textile designs to design accessories. I used an image of a Black woman showing her accessories as the main subject. I illustrated an earring and necklace based on the design of a contemporary jewelry artist named Lauren Harwell Godfrey who is inspired by African textile patterns to make her jewelry. I also illustrated a textile pattern that matches the same shapes and colors to show the connection between the textile patterns of Black cultural heritage and contemporary Black jewelry designs. My white text against the pattern also provides context of designers embracing Black heritage.
Advocacy for Black Designers
The objective for this poster was to create a poster advocating for greater representation of Black designers in the design industry. This project also highlights the importance of diversity and inclusion.
My second poster is advocating for the representation of Black designers and their culture in the design industry. This poster is based on the idea that design is a universal language and that Black cultures should be included in design for design to be representational as a universal language. I use bold white text against a dark background to highlight the main message for advocacy. I edited an image of the Earth for the universal message and added geometric shapes and colors that are seen in Black textile patterns to tie in Black design imagery.
Black Americans Incarceration Rates
For this poster, the focus was to address a current social justice issue affecting Black communities (e.g., racial inequality, environmental racism) and how design can be used as a tool for activism.
My third poster addresses the issue of the disproportionate incarceration rates of Black Americans compared to White Americans. I use bold orange text to highlight the main message and smaller text at the bottom for the incarceration rate data I found. I edited an image of a Black man using a threshold effect for texture and inverted the image colors to create the look of prison bars.
The Rise of Afrofuturism
The objective of this poster was to envision the future of Black design, exploring how emerging trends like technology, sustainability, or digital innovation will shape it.
My fourth poster is about the rise of the Afrofuturism movement for the theme of envisioning Black design in the future. I edited an image of a woman wearing traditional African patterns and accessories to show the connection of Black culture to a futuristic theme. I edited the portrait to fit the characteristics of the Afrofuturism movement of technology and fantasy. I illustrated sleek lines and used shapes from textile patterns for the galaxy background. I added outer space and architectural future elements to portray a futurist world with Black design.
