The Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression & Reflection

Front cover and book spine
Interior spreads of the book
Close-up image of typographic layout / grid system
Close-up image of typographic layout / grid system
Interior spreads of the book

The Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression & Reflection presents the work of six editors (Anne H. Berry, Jennifer Rittner, Kareem Collie, Penina Acayo Laker, Lesley-Ann Noel, Kelly Walters) and over 70 designers, artists, curators, educators, students, and researchers who represent a wide cross-section of Black diasporic identities and multi-disciplinary practices. Forewords by Emory Douglas and Ruha Benjamin frame the book in a historical and socio-political context, and an afterword by Eddie Opara offers an intimate, spiritual coda. This book represents our collective effort to capture the current moment of cultural reflection, as well as to consider the futures we are creating together. Our writers spotlight teaching practices, offer critiques of design methods, and shed light on Black interventions in speculative futuring, sustainable design methods, healing practices, activisms, and designing for Black Joy. They write about multi-community design, biophilia as a Black reparative practice, the history of African fractals, and the intersections of race, gender, ability, and sexuality as it informs their teaching, scholarship and professional work.

Designer
Renald Louissaint
Creative Director
Kelly Walters
Managing Editor
Anne H. Berry
Project link