Human Centered Design ········· 2020
Contemplating
Contemplating
Equity-Centered Community Design

Before changing my major to graphic design, I had no idea just how impactful designers have the power to be. I had a very corporate idea of what a designer was - someone who made logos and designed ads. Through my time in the program, specifically in classes such as Human-Centered Design, I’ve realized that design is so much more than that.
Design is everywhere. You can’t live a day in this world and escape design if you tried. The Starbucks menu, directions to the dentist, television commercials — you name it, someone designed it. Whether intentional or not, these design decisions have impacts.
“Inequities exist by design, and only intentional acts can dismantle them”
Frameworks like Human-Centered and Equity-Centered Community Design allow for designers to immerse themselves in the problems to develop a working concept for an outcome. Breaking down power structures, honoring diverse perspectives, and allowing space for empathy help us as designers to address complex problems.
I find it very inspiring and empowering that the work I do as a creative has the potential to dismantle inequities. As a trans person, the importance of progressing as a society past such inequities is vital. As a passionate designer, it’s exciting to use this tool and skill set to shift the status quo.