Representation Matters
W.E.B. Du Bois was a sociologist and civil rights activist—as well as a groundbreaking designer. A show of his work underlines its relevance today.
“These charts, which were a radical statement at the dawn of the 20th century, demonstrate DuBois’s awareness of his international audience, and how striking visuals would make the achievements of black Americans, despite society’s race-based limitations, plain.”
Where Are The Black Designers? | Presentation by Maurice Cherry
“How many black designers do you know? Just think about that for a minute. How many black designers do you know? If you find that there’s not many or you don’t know any at all, that’s actually perfectly okay. That’s fine. And part of the reasoning I think behind this is that you know, we don’t really know where they are. We don’t see them because they’re not reflected in our design media.”
Black Designers Missing in Action | Print Magazine, September-October 1987, by Cheryl D Miller
“Graphic design can be considered a select, professional field which only a few may enter owing to its costly educational preparation and subsequent competition in the marketplace. The graphic design industry, which includes clients as well as practitioners is highly selective in choosing its participants and, as a result, very few Blacks succeed as influential, or even visible, graphic designers. Indeed, there are few Black graphic designers practicing in the profession at all.”
Revision Path
An award-winning podcast of Black designers, developers, and digital creatives from all over the world. Through in-depth interviews, you’ll learn about their work, their goals, and what inspires them as creative individuals.
Magazines:
CRWNMag
“Through beautiful content, thoughtful commentary, hair inspiration and resources; we’re telling the world the truth about Black women by showcasing a new standard of beauty — and documenting our story in tangible, print form.”
gal-dem Zine (Archive)
“gal-dem is a new media publication, committed to telling the stories of women and non-binary people of colour. With our online and print magazine, we’re addressing inequality and misrepresentation in the industry through platforming the creative and editorial work of our community across essays, opinion, news, arts, music, politics and lifestyle content.”
Hannah Magazine
“HANNAH is an unapologetic celebration of and safe space for Black women in the form of a growing community, a biannual custom publication, and an online presence.
HANNAH is a place where we are not asked nor demanded to justify our existence, presence, or humanity. It is, rather, a space where we can simply BE.
A space where all are welcome to have a seat at the family dinner table, so long as you respect the house rules: Only upliftment, love + support live here.”
The IN Mag
“The Isis Nicole Magazine is a Brooklyn + Chicago based entertainment publication that celebrates the gifts and messages of contemporary artists worldwide.
Founded by Isis Nicole in 2013 from her bedroom, The IN Mag, later joined by its creative director, Hannah Black, and senior photo editor, Ji Yeo, has since become an annually printed project that enables talent to confidently express themselves through visual collaboration and storytelling.
We promote authenticity. We formulate diverse teams in front of and behind the camera. We produce nuanced editorials that create an impact on social media and beyond. We bridge communities across the globe. We host local events. We make our own rules.
Welcoming voices at the forefront of making exciting changes in the worlds of fashion, music, and art, each issue of The IN Mag gives a glimpse of the humanity behind the creativity.”
Neu Neu Magazine (Archive)
“Neu Neu Magazine is an annual print publication representing a new era. Focused on exploring the topics of fashion, music, art and culture, we’re creating a new space in fashion from the perspective of the most influential creatives from all around the world.”
Polychrome Magazine (Archive)
“Polychrome Mag. disrupts the traditional magazine narrative by creating a platform that highlights and showcases artists of color (archive).