What is the Design Diversity?
Design Diversity started as an idea in late 2013 by a small group of Cleveland architects, urban designers, and graphic designers with an intention to grow the local community of African American and Latino/a designers. People of color are significantly underrepresented in many design fields, including architecture, graphic design, landscape architecture, urban design, and industrial design. This lack of diversity ultimately limits the creative responses needed to address the growing needs in our communities.
Design Diversity refers not only to the necessity of increasing the number of underrepresented designers but also connotes a directive: we must design diversity. The systemic change required to increase diversity representation is itself a design problem, one that requires as much creativity, exploration, and discovery as any other challenge a designer faces.
Through self-initiated projects and in collaboration with existing organizations, our goal is to foster learning, influence growth, and promote people of color in the Design Professions in Northeast Ohio.
Design Diversity aims to:
EDUCATE local communities, specifically youth, about the range of design careers available
CONNECT professionals across design disciplines to grow a thriving local community
CELEBRATE the accomplishments of people of color in the design professions and share their success stories through programs, lectures, and social events to advance the goals of Design Diversity
ENGAGE the design community and foster strong and strategic relationships with educational institutions, businesses, and other key stakeholders
CONDUCT RESEARCH to identify promising practices for expanding diversity in the design professions
If you’d like to learn more about Design Diversity, please visit our Contact page.