![]() ![]() Reflecting on their first meeting, Douglas recalls, “Huey and Bobby exuded intellect. Yet, just three months post its establishment, he met the co-founders Bobby Seale and Huey Newton in January 1967. His designs and artwork weren’t merely decorations they became synonymous with the movement itself.ĭouglas wasn’t among the original founders of the Party. Entrusted with the role of Minister of Culture, Douglas didn’t simply create art he fashioned powerful symbols that vividly illustrated black-American oppression. He didn’t just contribute to the Black Panther Party he shaped its visual identity from 1967 until its dissolution in the 1980s. The Revolutionary Artist behind the Black Panther Iconographyīorn on May 24, 1943, Emory Douglas stands out as a seminal American graphic artist. Talent should not be overshadowed by race or background. It’s high time the design industry genuinely recognizes and rectifies this glaring discrepancy. The consensus among black designers suggests that it’s an amalgamation of all these reasons-and possibly more. It might be inferior training, fleeting determination, overt discrimination, accumulating frustrations, or sheer lack of opportunities. So, where does the black designer fit within this narrative? Are their skills genuinely desired and nurtured? While the number of black designers remains limited, the reasons are multifaceted. The design industry claims to perpetually hunt for groundbreaking talent. While this may seem a matter of class, in the UK, class and race are profoundly intertwined. This extends to some design agency CEOs-those who’ve never dabbled in design but, fortified with familial wealth, establish businesses and subsequently exploit genuine designers. Many seem to have chosen design as a trendy venture or an ‘easy job’, overlooking the depth and dedication the field demands. But every time I engage with the design community, the same archetype recurs-white, bearded men with privileged backgrounds. ![]() Stereotypes box us into roles of entertainers or athletes, overshadowing our diverse potentials.ĭreaming of a design career shouldn’t be an audacious goal. Yet, the Afro-Caribbean community still grapples with prejudices. Today, it’s commonplace to see doctors of Nigerian or Kenyan descent in the UK. Many migrants from Jamaica and Trinidad, despite being esteemed professionals in their home countries, found themselves in low-ranking jobs upon their UK arrival. ![]() But he strived to shatter that perception, working diligently to be known foremost as a rapper.īeing a person of colour in the UK and a grandchild of the Windrush generation, I’m familiar with the struggle for acknowledgment. Initially recognized as a producer, many doubted his rapping prowess. I often liken my journey to Kanye West’s. This development knowledge, though initially an unintended path, enabled me to design while deeply comprehending the code behind it. Yet, this detour helped me hone an intricate understanding of design, allowing me to replicate designs pixel perfectly. So I started my own agency.įor years, I immersed myself in coding-a skill I hadn’t particularly yearned for. The underlying sentiment from agencies seemed to be that “people of colour don’t design.” This subtly conveyed that I should be content with merely having a salary. With a degree in Graphic Communications, this diversion was not by choice. While many of my classmates stepped into junior roles at elite London design agencies, I was pigeonholed into developer gigs. The stark contrast between my experiences post-university and those of my white peers was jarring. Yet, they represent 12.4% of the population. According to the 2019 design census created by AIGA and Google, Black people make up just 3% of the design industry. ![]()
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