Being Black in Design

Episode 021 • 47 min

We hear from two prominent Black designers on the Black experience in design, including their amazing career journeys, how they’ve navigated an industry dominated by white designers, and their advice for young designers of color.

Our guest co-host, Zoë Middleton, produced a series of conversations amongst Black creatives to share experiences and highlight Black design talent. Zoë is the Director of Design, Marketing, and Product Development at Fabrique, a design and manufacturing company focused on bags and cases. Zoë shares what she learned from those conversations. She leads the discussion with our special guest, Kevin Bethune — he’s the Founder & Chief Creative Officer at Dreams • Design + Life, a think tank delivering design & innovation services using a human-centered approach. Kevin’s background spans engineering, business, and design in equal proportions over his 20+ year career, which has positioned him to help brands deliver meaningful innovations to enrich people’s lives and experiences. Zoë and Kevin’s discussion covers many aspects of being Black designers and the importance of racial diversity in creating innovation. Plus, we share our weekly dose of good design.

Weekly Dose of Good Design

• Sam: airbnb Sleepover at The Last Blockbuster 
• Liz: Tubelox
• Zoë: Coach cuts handbags, accessories, assortment for holidays

Links

• Organization: Women Presidents’ Organization
• Company: Yeh IDeology
• Company: Boston Consulting Group