What does it mean to be the Designer of the Future?
According to The Design Establishment it means broadening our understanding of design, innovating new forms, exploiting new technologies, inventing new object-types, advancing new design philosophies, developing new approaches to the creative process, and enhancing the culture of design. But most of all it means embracing diversity. Diversity culturally, diversity racially, and gender and ethnic based diversity.
The Design Establishment
is a new initiative created by the Organization of Black Designers to commission and showcase the work of outstanding African American designers. Ours is a visionary approach, intended to forge a new model for design companies of the 21st-century.
OBD is partnering with apparel, product and furniture manufacturers to bring to market the works of seasoned African American design professionals, such as Ron Wilch, Noel Mayo, Courtney Sloan, Cheryl Riley, Richard Harris, Rodney Shade, David Smith and many more. Its goal: to produce stunning apparel, products, furnishing, and environments.
"Most companies particularly manufacturers with the power to bring products to market have only paid lip service to design diversity."
"After nearly ten years of advocating design diversity and African American design talent, we see the design industry and the professions still not nearly as "diversity saturated" as they should be", says David Rice, chairman of the Washington, DC based Organization of Black Designers.
"Most companies particularly manufacturers with the power to bring products to market have only paid lip service to design diversity. The same is true of major retailers who pride themselves on selling design to the masses. They take our dollars but they are not supporting or nurturing the development of designers of color and are missing out on the rich and unique cultural perspectives that these designers can bring to influence their bottom lines", Rice continues.
Very few have designers of color in their design studios. There are some notable exceptions, like Nike, Daimler-Chrysler Corporation, Ford Motors, and General Motors. But the vast majority of furniture, product, and accessory manufacturers have done nothing.
The Design Establishment initiative will offer those companies "who cannot find a designer of color" a very viable resource. The OBD database lists 21,000 designers and allied professionals.
Well, here we are. Come and get us!
