Diversify by Design: 2024 Year in Review

What a year it's been! At Diversify by Design (D×D), we've continued our mission to transform the design industry, creating pathways for underrepresented designers and championing equity in creative spaces despite some who aim to slow the tide of progress. Here's a look back at our incredible journey in 2024.

AIGA Worldstudio D×D Scholarship Program: Building Bridges in Design Education

This year marked an exciting milestone as the AIGA Worldstudio Scholarship Program found its new home with D×D. More than just a transfer of administrative duties, this move represents a powerful coalition of vision and purpose. We're not just moving a program; we're expanding a movement.

By joining forces, we're amplifying the scholarship's impact, bringing together diverse perspectives, resources, and a shared commitment to breaking down barriers in design education. It's about creating a collective ecosystem where emerging designers, from all backgrounds, can not just enter the field, but truly thrive and reshape the design landscape.

Design= Curriculum: Teaching and Learning Design, Reimagined

This year, Design= made waves across the education community, co-hosting transformative events with some incredible partners:

• Culver City High School: Together with 46 students and Amazon designers, we turned classrooms into creative hubs, culminating in a field trip to Amazon Studios. One teacher, Alexis Reyes, shared: “The students were happy down to their cores after participating in a semester-long Design Challenge and culminating in a field trip to Amazon Studios that encouraged students to think and collaborate like professional designers. I really appreciated being a part of the whole D×D experience, which included a classroom visit and constructive critique from Jess Dang, Creative Director at Audible, an Amazon company. It has been important for me to help students in a ‘company town’ feel some hope that they might also one day enter the gates of the studios that overshadow their neighborhoods and walks to school.”
• Cedar Hill Independent School District: Introduced to us by Intuit’s Corporate Social Responsibility team, Cedar Hill ISD became the site of a transformative collaboration. In late May, we co-created and deployed a 3-day Design= program that brought design thinking to life. Over 130 students from four classes participated, guided by four educators across disciplines. With five hours of instruction and three challenges selected by Intuit, the program merged creativity with real-world problem-solving. By the end, every educator “strongly agreed” that the materials were easy to use, felt confident leading the curriculum, and were satisfied with the program overall.
• Culver City ISD Educators: Six STEM teachers joined us for a professional development workshop that dove deep into the Design= Curriculum, creating ripple effects in their classrooms.

And the impact doesn’t stop there. In collaboration with Workday, we developed the Design= Curriculum Kit, a 90-minute design bootcamp packed with mentorship and real-world insights.  The program introduced students to Workday designers who make challenges feel less like homework and more like solving real-world puzzles.

Whether we’re in classrooms, collaborating with educators, or building mentorship opportunities, Design= is igniting possibilities and helping to shape the next generation of creative problem-solvers.

D×D’s Ask Me Anything (AMA) Events: Navigating Design's Uncharted Territories

Our AMA series isn't just about listening—it's about transforming. We created a space where college students, career changers, or seasoned pros could do more than ask questions; they could unlock pathways to their future. Each session was a lifeline, connecting emerging designers with professionals who've navigated the complex terrain of creative careers.

Imagine sitting in a room (or virtual space) where design isn't just about aesthetics, but about impact. Where Shawn Williams from Vans doesn't just talk about footwear design, but about turning personal challenges into "superpowers." Where creatives learn that their unique perspective isn't a barrier, but their greatest asset.

These conversations went beyond typical career advice. They were roadmaps—showing young designers how to transform passion into purpose; established pros how to see design as a tool for social change and all attendees how to build resilience in an industry that hasn't always been welcoming to everyone. 

This year’s highlights included:

• Shawn Williams (Vans Associate Footwear Designer): An electrifying session about overcoming challenges and embracing individual "superpowers"
• Lara Alsoudani Weeks (Partner & Creative Director at FRINGE22 Studio) and Alfredo Weeks (Partner at FRINGE22 Studio and Adjunct Professor, Columbus College of Arts & Design): Insights into reshaping diverse workplaces
• Anne H. Berry (Director of the School of Design, University of Illinois, Chicago): Sharing wisdom on mentorship and seizing opportunities
• Corey Dangel (Director of UX and UI, Amazon Games): Exploring game design, untraditional pathways to a career in design, and leadership challenges

Spotlighting Stories: Mentorship and Navigating Design's Inequities

This year, Diversify by Design delved deep into the transformative power of mentorship and also the difficult, and usually painful, nuances of navigating design's inequities through our long-form interview series. From exploring mentorship's role in fostering belonging and career advancement to highlighting personal narratives, we showcased mentorship as a true game changer for diversity in design. 

In a standout conversation, we connected with Hartley Ochavillo—former teacher, Workday UX researcher, and author of a groundbreaking report on mentoring at Workday—to uncover how structured support systems can break barriers for underrepresented talent. 

Then, we shined a light on Keyarow Mosley, a Pratt Institute graduate student navigating the dual challenges of being the only Black woman in most of her classes and an industry where Black women represent less than 5% of the workforce. 

Through these stories, we highlighted not only the systemic obstacles faced by designers of color but also the pathways to resilience and success mentorship can create. These conversations served as both a wake-up call and a source of inspiration, underscoring the urgency of building a more inclusive design industry.

Advisory Council: Design's Newest Dreamweavers

When we talk about expanding our Advisory Council, we're not just adding names to a list. We're bringing on visionaries who don't just see the design world as it is, but imagine what it could be.

Take Nagela Dales, Founder at OpenHoue—she's not just a designer, she's a design justice architect. Anosh Gill? As the Division Director at Florida A&M University, he's been reshaping design education for decades, proving that great design is about communication, empathy, and breaking boundaries. And Antionette D. Carroll, President/CEO, Creative Reaction Lab? She's literally pioneering entire frameworks for equitable design.

These aren't just professionals. They're change-makers who are rewriting the rules of design practice.

Welcoming Belinda Moreira: A Force of Educational Transformation

Sometimes, a team member arrives and you just know something special is happening. Enter Belinda Moreira—a first-gen Latina whose entire journey has been about transforming education. With roots in underrepresented communities and an educational background that spans Georgetown, Teach for America, and Rice University, Belinda isn't just joining our team. She's bringing a revolution.

Her passion isn't just about education. It's about dismantling barriers, creating pathways, and proving that your background is your strength, not a limitation.

Looking Ahead

As we reflect on 2024, we're more committed than ever to our mission of transforming the design industry. By providing scholarships, introducing design education to both educators and students, amplifying diverse voices, and building a supportive community, we're working to create lasting change.

Join us. You won’t be disappointed. Whether you partner to support the coalition’s work, donate to the scholarship fund, mentor a young creative, teach a Design= class, or bring your design team to inspire and challenge a college class at a historically excluded Minority Serving Institution (MSI), you’ll be doing more for the future of the design industry than you can imagine. 

Think about it. Then act and drop us a note at hello@dxd.design. In the meantime…

stay connected, stay inspired, and keep pushing for a more inclusive design world!

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