A group of US-based companies has launched an initiative to increase racial diversity across all fields of design through systemic change.
The Diversity in Design (DID) Collaborative announced its formation on 15 June 2021, outlining an immediate mission to increase the representation of black creatives across all design disciplines.
The initiative was spearheaded by US furniture group Herman Miller. It is co-led by the company's senior vice president of special projects Mary Stevens, and Caroline Baumann, the former director of New York City's Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum.
The DID logo, which is built from four squares and a circle, was designed by founding advisor Forest Young
They are joined by a group of founding advisors that includes D'Wayne Edwards, founder of Pensole Design Academy; Lesley-Ann Noel, associate director for design thinking and social impact at Tulane University; and Forest Young, chief creative officer at Wolff Olins. "As a Black designer I have waited three decades to receive Herman Miller's call proposing the concept of DID," said Edwards. "The lack of diversity in design is too large an issue for one brand to try to solve itself."
"To me, DID is about more than purposely creating more diversity in design, it is about an entire industry creating a more meaningful relationship with a consumer that goes beyond them being a consumer," he added.
Collaborative to offer "commitment, strategic action, and finan...