Let’s talk about bias, shall we? If after this post you’re feeling overwhelmed, that is normal! Especially if you haven’t gotten much practice unlearning biases and naming prejudices. Keep pushing and learning.
Feeling like you don’t care? Unlearning biases and designing with critical thinking is about honoring and authentically representing the people you serve. To me, that’s a big part of makes a design successful.
Please note that I am not saying that certain stereotypical typefaces or other design elements don’t work at all for certain brands – they DO! This is why they are done over and over again. But if we’re looking to push boundaries, then it’s time to do it intentionally!
Bias is a real thing and everyone has it. But simply being aware of our biases (in design) doesn’t really cause change*. A lot of discussions surrounding bias tend to look at it through a series of abstract individualistic “inclinations” rather than a concrete harm that could lead to systemic issues.
*Data shows that most implicit bias training caused no change.
If you’d like to dive deeper, enroll in my Social Justice Design Course!
