Design Is Not Neutral

Design is Not Neutral is a podcast built from a thesis project. As a present design master’s student at the University of Notre Dame, I began a broader inquiry into the way design as a field was built and the way we now teach design. After doing more research, it became clear – that design in the United States has a diversity problem. The roots of our diversity issue are squarely in how we define and teach Graphic Design. Graphic Design was made for white, cis-gendered, able-bodied men in consumer-driven societies. With this foundation, how we determine what is ‘good design’ has become extremely exclusionary. Yet, despite increased conversation around equity, design education has yet to dramatically change. The designers and design educators interviewed on Design is Not Neutral have all deeply researched the field of design education in order to improve our field. This podcast will not only provide listeners with resources on how to challenge their own perceptions of what design has been defined by, it will also provide concrete examples of how this work is being done in classrooms. I hope you enjoy each conversation as much as I did and if you liked Design is Not Neutral please check us out on Instagram.