This study seeks to find out how the awareness of the designer’s racial biases affects the design process and whether this can help to reduce the unintended recycling of racial stereotypes when portraying out-groups. Furthermore, the study concentrates on the role of surrounding visual culture, history and personal experiences when a European designer illustrates African characters.
The study uses autoethnographic method. A micro level approach is taken to deepen understanding on the role of racial and ethnic bias in the design process by going through personal experiences from the perspective of a design student.
A series of illustrations of West African characters for microstock image banks was produced as a case study. The design process was recorded in field notes accompanied by memories of events in the past that had led to the designer’s present perceptions. The field notes and memories were reconstructed as an evocative autoethnographic narrative. Through this process the designer was able to identify and reject some of the most racially biased concepts, make conscious choices regarding representation, and to claim responsibility over the decisions she made.
The identified stereotypes were found to be paternalistic and envious in nature. The influences identified were the designer’s personal encounters and the Finnish and Western popular visual culture. Connections to the stereotypes of the colonial era, slavery and abolitionism were noted.
It was noted that though paying attention to one’s racial biases during the design process could be beneficial in order to avoid racial stereotypes, given too much attention it could hinder the creative process.
Keywords:
Racial bias, design process, out-group, autoethnography, stereotype.
To reference: Laura Doku, 2018, illustratingother.wordpress.com
ILLUSTRATING THE OTHER 