They go on to say each individual in an organisation brings with them a diverse set of perspectives, work and life experiences, as well as religious and cultural differences. Diversity of culture and background within a team creates a forum for new and innovative perspectives. Borrowing the AIGA Women’s Leadership goals to celebrate, cultivate and connect, the initiative’s mission is encouraging diversity in design education, discourse and practice to expand the future strength and relevance of design in all areas of society. Earlier this year, with its new Women’s Leadership Initiative, AIGA took a great step towards addressing the lack of public female role models in design as well as the challenges women face in ascending to their own visions of professional success. The shifting status of “minorities” in the U.S.* affects not only the pool of possible future designers at the K-12 level, but also the makeup of our clients, colleagues and collaborators. Diversity and Inclusion DesignEd K12. Our … But if the design agencies chosen for campaigns do not practice diversity or are not of said culture it may be harder for them to create intersectional designs and marketing material that connects with the target audience. This is important in the diversity debate, because one of the most common rebuttals to diversity is that there's no need to change things. Interconnectedness in all its forms, including technology, multiculturalism and globalism, make diversity and inclusion more relevant than ever in design as well as all areas of business and culture. A research paper by Simon Hellberg found that through social media consumers have the power to control which brands are welcome and how they are welcome. Things have been a certain way for a long time. Uber recently committed to two three-year goals around intersectionality. In this digital age when hiring  agencies you become open to a global talent pool which means you can choose the right agency globally that’s perfect for your company and your goals. That’s right @Dove But the more diverse the experiences of the team, the more known unknowns can be uncovered. From a practical (not to mention moral) standpoint, diversity and inclusion within the field of design lead to more innovation through problem-solving, whether in service to business or society. Brands can no longer ignore social issues! That’s why Caio Braga and I decided to start this series. Diversity, is it just a buzzword? AIGA believes creativity thrives through participation and the unexpected. The stories need to be in language and emotions of the consumer and culture. 88% of design managers are white, 7% come from an Asian background, 2% come from BAME, and 3% come from other ethnic groups. As detailed in an article by Kenneth Gibbs Jr., published in Scientific American, the term “diversity,” in its simplest terms, … To conclude. But we wanted to bring the topic from the stage to the inside of the company you work for. Throughout AIGA’s 100-year history, design and innovation have advanced not only our industry, but transformed everyday life. Let's just keep them the same. If people of different backgrounds were present during the creation of these campaigns, leading to diversity in design, would the results still be so out of touch with culture? This means that at least 4 groups within both organisations would have seen the above campaigns and thought it was fine to go live with. However, there are two … Diversity & Inclusion are passions for some of us, but they matter to all of us. This represents only small strides since the 1990 AIGA Journal article “Equal Opportunities: Minorities in Graphic Design” (by Michele Vernon-Chesley) and subsequent symposium “Why Is Graphic Design 93% White?” And race is only part of the picture. Consequently, this shift in power is driving change and market growth. Tags Diversity has become sort of a hot topic over the last 4 years. On the 15th of July 2019 Chanel announced the hire of its first global head of diversity and inclusion. Imagine the days prior to television sets, Universal Product Codes (and now QR Codes), the iEverything, Adobe Creative Suite…because they really weren’t that long ago. Before we dive into diversity, let’s explore why diversity is important in design thinking. Are they best suited for the culture you’re trying to target? When hiring design agencies to create brands, marketing material and campaigns ensure you look at the wider team. Global Diversity Practice defines diversity as empowering people by respecting and appreciating what makes them different, in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, education, and national origin. HOW SMEs CAN BRAND THEMSELVES SUCCESSFULLY, Responsive Web Design – The Why and The How. Once you hire and commission an agency and they produce exceptional work for you, how will you know the design is suitable for your audience? Examples of culture can be natural beauty or political unrest. So what’s the issue? And if not, are they willing to immerse themselves in the culture to get you results? To drive this initiative, the AIGA Diversity & Inclusion Task Force has been reconvened with new volunteers—members and chapter leaders from across the nation. Before an examination of why this is so, it is important to take a closer look at what exactly is meant by the term “diversity.” What is diversity? On the 15th of July 2019 Chanel announced the hire of its first global head of diversity and inclusion. For example, 73% of consumer purchasing decisions are made by women. It’s important to design to accessibility standards, it immediately creates more inclusive experiences. A marketing campaign will need to be signed off by both the agency and the client. Brands try to align themselves with culture. Design has the power to permeate every product, moment and solution in our lives—with immense opportunity for change. The launch of this program, combined with existing member interest in other areas of diversity, led to the creation of a new AIGA Diversity & Inclusion Initiative, which builds on past AIGA programs and groups with new ideas and resources to sustain AIGA’s commitment to this critical issue. Diversity is far bigger than race, age, gender, size, physical ability or faith and for that reason alone it is our responsibility as designers to understand the … For truly timeless designs, diversity in design agencies you work with and diversity in your own teams will help your brand’s story connect better with the actual customers. Additionally, the stories will be more likely to succeed if the stories are authentic. At StartTeck we believe when designing, you do not know what you do not know. Depending on your cultural background, ethnicity, age or sex you may or may not see anything wrong. This trend follows on from recent hirings at Gucci, Burberry and Prada. This is in contrast to the consumers. Get to know the task force, see what we're planning and contact us with ideas for resources, speakers, programs and connections. For example, companies who truly understood the essence of Pride and believed in the movement connected better with the audience. 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