A World United Through Design

The call for greater representation in the design industry is not merely a request for reform but constructive renewal of what design means. The final experience of the end user is the starting point for a great design process.

Is design the ability to entrench the old or create an avenue for the new? This constant struggle is what drives creatives. It is clear that to integrate diversity in the design process whether in the use of Middle-Eastern design tenets in conjunction with that of European or African cultural features can illuminate the user's eyes to the shared unity of humanity regardless of seeming differences.

The life of many designers begins with the learning stage from which a plethora of ideas emerge and destinies are shaped. It is crucial to encourage designers to look beyond the canon (which oftentimes sets classical architecture as premium) to explore cultures and design methods they were not privy to.

An accurate representation of the contributions of other nations and cultures to the development of design irrespective of the industry can propel a minority student to break free from a timid approach to design and incorporate the wealth of their heritage in their practice. For instance, an airport designed with directional markers on a screen in sign-language or a global app in lesser known languages can make minorities feel less excluded.

As an architecture aficionado, as passionate about building connections as I am about building structures, the opportunity to realize the goals of the United Nations without a written charter or member contributions but through design, creates great excitement. To allow diversity to inspire design gives life to our work. It allows what we create to impact more than those who look like us or share our beliefs.

Although the architecture of antiquity represents a time past, it inspires one beckoning. When future generations look back at the design of our age, will they applaud our rich cultural unity or lament our entrenched division in spite of all the technology at our disposal to connect with each other?

When designing a home for those with limited vision for example, the designer can place focus on the materiality of walls, to facilitate spatial differentiation. This heightens the sensorial qualities of the space making it an even greater work of art. It is this level of introspection and analysis designers must have. Reasons such as the client's reluctance to incorporate accommodative features are unfortunately given as reasons why the path of inclusivity should not be chartered. This is without the realization that clients as well as designers are answerable to our fellow humans. It is crucial that the spaces we design, don't separate but unite.

Altogether, when designers create a space that accommodates a diverse group of people, it reminds the end-user that their specific needs were thought about in the process. It shows that one doesn't need to be rich, powerful or famous to be a recipient of great design.