Design Hour is a new Inneract Project event series of small gatherings and discussions covering a variety of topics; diversity and inclusion, education, art, culture, music, sports and how they all intersect with design. Design Hour in meant to provide attendees with an opportunity to engage with speakers, asking questions and participating in dialogue around the things they care about. Event time is capped at 1 – 1.5 hours max, with as little as 20 attendees to a max of 100.

When I sat down to write this article, I did so with a bit of skepticism. In my mind, because there are so many articles about diversity these days, it is difficult to gauge the climate. I wonder if design diversity is getting worse or if it will ever change…I have been working to increase the amount of designers of color for a long time and have heard it all! That was my first thought anyways…

Diversity in design and technology leads to more creative, innovative and profitable solutions; in our industry, community and in the world that surrounds us. But when we examine personnel data, it’s apparent there’s still a large diversity gap. In 2015, only 6% of U.S. graduates in design fields were African American and only 10% were Hispanic. For these same professional groups, the disparity extends with African American and Hispanic employment representing only 3% of our workforce. We believe those numbers can be improved with a strategic deliverable being stronger inclusivity.