The State of Black Design

The State of Black Design is a two-hour virtual discussion, hosted by Texas State University's Communication Design program. This event will feature prominent Black Design Practitioners and Academics. This open conversation will be segmented into four focused panels, Industry, Pedagogy, Black Design Organizations, and Design Activism.

The topics of discussion will include but will not be limited too:

• Aunt Jemima, is rebranding racist trademarks enough?
• Decolonizing the field of Design.
• Hegemony in Design curriculum + workspace
• Design's roots in social commentary (Russian Constructivism, Proletariat vs. the Bourgeoisie)
• Can this momentum around race be used by designers to also champion equity for other minority groups (Gender, Race, Religion, Sexual Orientation, etc.)?

• Black Lives Matter & its Impact on Design
• Opportunity in the wake of George Floyd
• Level of diversity in the field of Design, and how do we increase that level of diversity?

Panelists:

• Samuel Adaramola, M.S. | Creative Director at Grassroots Law Project & Former Media Producer for Bernie Sanders
• Maurice Cherry | Founder of Revision Path
• Terrence Moline | African American Graphic Designer
• Erwin Hines | Creative Director at Basic Agency
• Terresa Moses | Creative Director at Blackbird Revolt & Associate Professor at University of Minnesota
• Renee Reid | UX Design Researcher at LinkedIn
• Bekah Marcum | Black Designers of Seattle Community Organizer & Product Designer at Zillow Group
• Jordon Moses | Co-founder + Visionary Director at Blackbird Revolt
• Jacinda Walker | Founder and Creative Director of DesignExplorr
• Larrie King | Assistant Professor, Visual Communication Design at Kent State University
• Antionette Carroll, M.A. | President/CEO, Creative Reaction Lab; Aspen Institute & ADL Civil Society Fellow; TED Fellow; Echoing Green Fellow; Co-Founder, &Design
• Jennifer White-Johnson | Assistant Professor of Visual Communication Design & Digital Media Art at Bowie State University
• Lauren Williams | Visiting Instructor, Communication Design at College for Creative Studies
• Lesley Ann Noel, PhD | Professor of Practice; Associate Director, Design Thinking for Social Impact
• Angela Bains | Assistant Professor at OCAD University

Moderator:

• Omari Souza, MFA |Assistant Professor at Texas State University