The Century Campaign

(Stay tuned for information on how to enter the campaign!)

W.E.B. Dubois summed up the problem of the 20th century in his treaties The Souls of Black Folk as “the problem of the color-line”.  Shortly thereafter, he along with a few others formed in 1905 the NAACP. And so, following the historic election of President Obama and the 100-year anniversary of the NAACP, it seems that we have in someway crossed over that line. (Myron Smith, D.4.21)

There is a need for an accessible and inclusive network that serves as a hub for the intellectual, spiritual and practical needs of designer-of-color and design enthusiasts in the pursue of their professional, social and service outreach desires. Unlike other emerging social communities, the support for designer-of-color must be more focused and responsive to larger questions and issues that we face. As Dubois clearly defined the problem of the 20th century, “Designers for the Twenty First Century” (Designers421) seeks to be a hub where problems of the 21st century are identified and contextualized and addressed by an open community through networking, exchange and meaningful support.

Campaign Goal:
To solicit ideas and support from the community of design professionals and students by open sharing of ideas and references that represent what they individually believe the identity of a design network that reflects them and represents the organic needs of the 21st century should be. This information collected through this campaign will be considered in the development of the Designers421 brand identity. This campaign will begin Fall of 2009. The campaign will have two tiers, one open to all the public and one limited to invited design professionals – the distinction of these two tiers are described below.

The campaign has several desired outcomes:

• To create awareness in the community of the emerging Designers421 network and encourage membership development
• To be inspired by the voices of the community in shaping the brand identity
• To learn from select professional volunteering firms what the network needs to consider as part of its brand and identity system
• Select one professional firm that is willing to engage in developing the brand identity and providing supportive materials and files in exchange for exposure through the network.