Diversity and Inclusion are emerging as prominent topics on University campus. In the last few years, multiple institutions of higher learning have outlined diversity and inclusion goals and actions. Our primary goal is to facilitate in cultivating learning environments for undergraduate and graduate students to further explore issues of race and racism. This work is focused on:

• Critically analyzing and identifying artifacts of racialized design,
• Shared experiences of microaggressions and implicit bias,
• Systemic forms of racism and how we and our culture perpetuates them.

Our goal is to facilitate workshops for design educators to identify Racialized Design– design that perpetuates elements of racism. Design research can assists in cultivating learning environments for undergraduate and graduate students to further explore issues of race and racism. Our goal is to guide educators and students to utilize design research methods and processes to solve systemic problems and inspire further work in the public sector or a passion for public service. The following question guides our work, how can design educators utilize design research to critically assess anti-racist concepts and develop solutions for Racialized Designwithin project-based learning environments?

Due to the interdisciplinary components of this project, this framework could be repurposed for other disciplines.

We’ve run over a dozen different workshops and are finishing our first two case studies in an undergraduate and graduate class.

This exhibit is the outcome of my assignment “The Movement Imprinted,” in which I ask my students to create work based on a particular person, song, or experience in the African-American community. Each year has a different theme. I then specify that their design should emulate and be inspired by the work of an African-American graphic designer. Along with the designed poster or portrait, they are accompanied with a designed booklet that details information about their topic, their assigned designer, the students’ progress, and the topic’s impact on the movement and Black culture.

The students’ work is then sold for auction with at least 50% of the winning bid going towards the Duluth NAACP. Since I began this community project in 2017, every piece has sold at the auction.

Each exhibition is themed. This year, in 2018, the theme was based on songs about the Black experience. The songs selected for each student included a range of styles, from Nina Simone to Lupe Fiasco.

Each exhibition is themed. The first year this project was explored in 2017, the theme was based on Black activists. The activists selected for each student included a range from Harriet Tubman to Danny Glover.

This was a project assigned during my ART 2911 Graphic Design I class. This project focuses on a simple statement; “designers need to take responsibility for the decisions they make and be conscientious members of both the design community and the wider human community.” This project involves a fair amount of introspection as students decide what they stand for and against. Students should create their posters with the mindset that their design is a “living” document and will change over time as they gain experiences in the design industry and broader community.

This was a project assigned during my ART 3922 Graphic Design II class. Students were challenged to answer the question: “How can design solve STEEP (social, technological, economic, environmental, and political) disparities for marginalized populations in Duluth communities?” This allowed students to recognize community disparities within Duluth and use design to help solve problems for the people.

Vegestaples

Creating sustainably nutritious communities across all demographics.

Nature Kit

Dedicated to educating the community youth about the importance of nature as well as Duluth’s best nature programming and experiences.

Move Crew

Giving affordable and inclusive options for kids who want to dance.

Launch

Providing an after-school mentorship program with professional and college student volunteers.

Lending a Hand

Striving to bridge the language gap between hearing, deaf, and hard of hearing individuals in the Duluth community.

Swap West

Creating sustainable conditions for homeless families by providing resource trading opportunities.

Many of my assignments focus on how to integrate the community into the design process. Specifically, I focus on the representation of marginalized voices in design and how design can give voice or communicate their experiences.

In this project, students developed illustration and typographic layout skills to create a successfully bound children’s book. Students were required to debrief their client, in this case, a youth from the Neighborhood Youth Services, an afterschool program for families with a low economic background and subsequently a high population of people of color. I required the students to read through their assigned story and break up the story where they see fit, mimicking the real-life experience of a client needing a lot of guidance. Each spread included at least one illustration. Students research book illustrators to be inspired to create an engaging and interesting story.

Before the project began, I provided the youth at Neighborhood Youth Services (NYS) with prompts. I gave them to the volunteers who worked with the youth to write up a story. The prompt topics included superheroes, animals, and monsters. On the prompt sheet, I asked questions like: “What would you like to name your characters? What are your favorite colors? What types of books/movies do you like? What kind of story would you like to tell?”. I then gave them room to draw a scene from their story.

At the beginning of the project, my students met their NYS youth at Washington Center. The photos above are from the first session. There was so much energy and the students were very excited to be working with the NYS youths.

After the completion of the books, the students came back to NYS to present the final results to the youth. The youth were floored at their concepts that came to life. I am quite proud of the final products.

The work featured above are from the following students:

• “Fighting Friends” Story written by Devon, Illustrations by Shannon Conway
• “Heroes Versus Heroes” Illustrations and Layout by Carter Shades
• “The Super Squad” Written by Devon, Illustrated by Caleb Vandenheuvel
• “Selena Sky and the Weather Wand” Written by Rubena Illustrated by Danielle Peterson

Many of my assignments focus on how to integrate the community into the design and design research process. Specifically, I focus on the representation of marginalized voices in design and how design can give voice or communicate their experiences.

In this project, students developed illustration and typographic layout skills to create a contemporary zine (pronounced “zeen”). Students were required to debrief their client, in this case, a 9th-grade student from Denfeld High School. I required the students to read through their assigned stories and break up the story where they see fit, mimicking the real-life experience of a client needing a lot of guidance. Each spread included at least one illustration or manipulation of typography. I had students research zine culture to help influence their layouts.

Before the project began, I worked with Brian Jungman to come up with prompts that would have the students think creatively on solutions to real world problems while telling their own experiences. The prompts included:

1. Write about a time when you’ve faced an ethical dilemma(s). Create an ethics guide with concrete examples of good and bad choices.
2. What team of superhumans need to exist to make the world a better, more equitable place? What kinds of powers do they have, what code do they live by, what are their first acts as superhumans?
3. What does it mean to be a responsible citizen on the internet? Create an internet etiquette guide.
4. A being from outer space becomes lost in orbit and finds their way to earth. Create a guide to introduce them to our world and to help humanity include their newest visitor.
5. What is the greatest act of service you can do for someone else? Create stories that develop characters to become better citizens.
6. What makes a well functioning and equitable society? Create your own school, educational system, and/or government.

The 9th graders were instructed to create a variety of poems, short stories, journal entries, and song lyrics to create their zine. My graphic design students met with the students at the beginning and middle of the project to review content and show their progress to their clients.

After the completion of the zines, the graphic design students came back to Denfeld to present the final products to the 9th graders with copies for each of them and a process presentation.

The work featured above are from the following students:

• “Broken But Not Different” Written by Mallorie Schwartz and Gigi Boheim, Designed by Madalina Kelner
• “The Marshall Adventures” Written by Cailyn Volkenant and Leah Nelson, Designed by Tara Anderson
• “Election Day” Written by Kenyon Gilbert and Abby Ojard Illustrations, Designed by Libby Cook
• “Three Wrongs Make a Right” Written by Alezea and Alayna, Designed by Morgan Hameister
• “A New Home” Written by Mason Mahlum, Designed by Kristin Heater
• “Stand Up” Written by Malik Jones, Designed by Kalley Hintermeyer
• “Jim and Toby Play Ball” Written by Darian Lewandowski, Designed by Alli Urevig
• “Zork Tours Earth” Written by Per Johnson, Tommy Kishida, and Davin Williams, Designed by Josiah Van Steeg
• “It’s a New Place” Designed by Lauren Kotz