PROGRAM

We Design

People. Practice. Progress.

“You can’t be what you can’t see.” — Marian Wright Edelman
We Design: People. Practice. Progress. is an exhibition program designed to inspire young adults, particularly women and those from historically underinvested communities of color, to explore careers in creative industries. The program explores reasons for the lack of racial and gender diversity in the creative industries through quantitative and qualitative data visualizations. The exhibitions also features a significant group of people of various ages, genders, backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and identities — showcasing their unique career paths through stories, photos, and videos, along with artifacts and examples of their professional work from their careers. The program also includes events for young adults, their parents, and professionals to learn about these creative careers.

ONLINE EXHIBITION

With the onset of COVID-19, we had to close our physical exhibitions, but we immediately pivoted to transitioning We Design into an online resource. Check out our online exhibition!

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86% of graphic designers are white.

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2% of licensed architects are Black.

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25% of firm leaders are women.

We can do better.

SHOP

Want to take the design stories featured in We Design home with you? Our We Design Conversation Cards and the upcoming special issue of Design Museum Magazine, The We Design Issue, are two ways to learn more about exciting designers working in various design fields.

We Design Conversation Cards

The We Design discussion deck can be used individually, in small groups, or with larger discussion forums. Within the deck, you’ll find stories from creatives in a variety of industries, along with statistics and topics of discussion around diversity and equity in design professions.

The We Design Issue | Special Issue of Design Museum Magazine

The Winter 2023 We Design Issue features a selection of design stories from We Design, a series of programs by and for women, gender-expansive, and BIPOC designers. The program celebrates designers belonging to historically marginalized communities through exhibitions, conversation cards, and now–a special Design Museum Magazine double issue!

COLLECTION PREVIEW

WE DESIGN IS AVAILABLE FOR TOURING

Interested in bringing this exhibition to your community? Contact us for more information: info@codesigncollaborative.org.

CoDesign Collaborative is really walking the talk with this exhibition. This is the most diverse group of people I’ve ever worked with.”
Trish Fontanilla, We Design Content Advisory Committee Member

What an opportunity to be intentional about making sure design is as diverse as possible!”
Dr. Darnell L. Williams, President/CEO, Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts

This program is an incredible opportunity to inspire the next generation of creatives.”
Stephanie Shore, Chief Marketing Officer, MOO

NOMINATE A DESIGNER

We’re constantly adding designers to the We Design Exhibition, so check back in for more updates.
Do you know of a creative professional that you would like to see featured in We Design? We welcome your nominations.