This backgrounder presents In Perspectives: An Actionable Approach to Value Underrecognized Perspectives in Design Through Intentional Conversation, created by Six Cinquième and Never Was Average. A selected project from the Call for proposals - Developing a Stronger Design Culture, Together (2nd Edition), supported by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec, under the Entente sur le développement culturel de Montréal between the City of Montréal and the Government of Québec.
For more information about the Call for proposals, click here.
Towards a More Inclusive Design Industry
Explore In Perspectives’ Guide and Video interviews and discover the steps and mindsets to guide designers and professionals towards more inclusive design practices.
The purpose of these resources is to address a significant gap in the Montréal design community, i.e. a cultural lag and lack of representation, and to find ways to be more accessible, inclusive, present and inviting for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC). In turn, this will help create truly inclusive living and working environments, encouraging the industry to better reflect the people and culture of the city.
In Perspectives proposes an approach to design that respects diverse communities and embraces inclusive practices for those who wish to design for and with communities of focus to which they do not belong.
This project is primarily based on participatory data collection methods, focused on conversation. In the spring of 2024, Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) people, designers and non-designers, were invited to meet and discuss their relationship to design during a two-day workshop. The resources presented in this backgrounder are the result of their contributions.
What Needs to Be Addressed
The design industry struggles to become more accessible, inclusive and inviting for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour).
How might the design industry become more equitable, diverse and inclusive?
A lack of inclusivity and understanding of underrecognized communities creates design solutions that may not answer the needs and expectations of these communities.
How might design professionals better understand and better reflect the needs of underrecognized communities?
Many underrecognized communities are unaware of careers and professional potential in design, or its impact on their environment.
How might design professionals authentically connect with diverse communities, ensuring they are included in and aware of the design industry and process?
In Perspectives: An Actionable Approach to Value Underrecognized Perspectives in Design Through Intentional Conversation
In Perspectives is a simple but effective 3-step approach:
- Consult with external collaborators
- Set an Intention with humility
- Have Intentional conversations
In Perspectives can be integrated into any design process across all fields to:
- Empower designers and professionals to understand who they’re designing for and how they relate.
- Create inclusive spaces where underrecognized communities can engage with design.
Diverse perspectives enrich design projects by accurately representing the full spectrum of the human experience.
- Design professionnal during the workshop
A Tool to Guide You Step by Step
The In Perspectives guide presents the intentional conversation approach and methods. It offers tools to support planning, decision-making and feedback, leading to more inclusive reflexes in our practice.
View the publication here.
A Series of Video Interviews to Open Up Your Perspectives
What if design were viewed from a different perspective?
The Changing Mindsets series offers four video interviews with design professionals, who challenge traditional industry frameworks in favor of inclusivity.
By sharing their nuanced perspectives, they reveal how listening to diverse voices can help overcome biases and shift mindsets.
The series invites viewers to reflect on these insights and consider how they can integrate them into their own design processes.
About Six Cinquième And Never Was Average
With Six Cinquième’s experience operating in the design industry and Never Was Average’s experience fostering inclusivity through culture and conversations, the team was in a prominent and privileged position to foster an understanding of the realities of underrecognized designers and communities within the social environment.
Born and raised in different parts of Greater Montréal—Montréal North, Villeray, NDG and Laval—and informed by their collective Francophone, Anglophone, Jamaican and Haitian backgrounds, their work within Montréal's cultural communities has provided them with an external perspective that benefits the City's efforts toward diversity, equity, and inclusion.
No one grasps the nuanced needs and human experiences of a community better than the community itself. Inclusive design ensures this knowledge is recognized, valued and applied wisely to benefit others.