SPOTLIGHT ON: MICHELE WASHINGTON

Throughout my entire college experience, there was only a handful of female professors, none of whom were women of color. It was not until my first semester of Graduate School, when I met Michele Washington, when I finally had a female professor whose skin resembled my own. A graphic designer, as well as design researcher and strategist, Michele’s career has changed several times, and achieved many accomplishments in the midst of them all. Below, I have spoken with Michele regarding her design path, what led her to research and writing, her thoughts on female designers of color in the industry today, and her advice for young designers entering the field.

Tell me a little about yourself-where you are from, where/if you studied design/architecture.

I was born and raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and have moved around during my life, living in Chicago, Minneapolis, Connecticut and currently, New York City. I come from a entrepreneurial family of three generations, beginning with my paternal grandfather who owned a seasonal seafood restaurant in Atlantic City. I grew up working at the restaurant over the summer, taking note of the many famous black celebrities and musicians who always would stop by. Several of my family members are artists, and I grew up always drawing and making things with my hands, learning how to sew at a young age.

I attended Adelphi University in Long Island, where they had a small art department. After graduating, I went straight to Graduate School at Pratt, where I initially majored in printmaking. However, I quickly switched to Visual Communications (Graphic Design) and have been in the field ever since, working as a graphic designer for publishing houses, newspapers, magazines and more. Today, my work as a designer has taken me all over the country, and the world. Currently, I work as a design research and strategist, as well as instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where I teach in the Graduate School for Exhibition and Experience Design.

How did you first know you wanted to get into design? What initially piqued your interest?

As I mentioned, artists and entrepreneurship runs in my family. However, I was also a pretty nerdy kid, and very much into science; at one point, I wanted to study pre-med simply so I could be a medical illustrator. I’ve always been fascinated in all things, drawing on different interests to engage my career and design skills.

My career began to take a turn once I started to realize just how little the rest of the art world was in touch with black artists. Many times, historic books would mention artists, but no information on their race or photos of them existed: more often than not, these artists were black. I started to get more interested in these ideas, and when I returned to New York, I began to teach at Pratt University. In 1991, a colleague and I curated an art show entitled “Visual Perceptions: 21 African-American Designers Challenge Modern Stereotypes.” The show challenged the perceptions and belief of people of color in the media, design and creative world, especially during that particular time period. Since then, a lot of my work has taken on the role of dissecting what it means to be a black creative.

How did you begin to pursue these ideas further? Do you still see these ideas presented today in 2019?

Definitely. Years after graduating from Pratt, I went back to Graduate School at SVA (The School of Visual Arts) in New York. I went back because I had started a book that would specifically highlight black artists of color, and a friend had mentioned the Design Criticism Program at SVA. While there, I researched. I researched everything and anything I could get my hands on, eventually concluding my thesis with a focus on Afro hair, dissecting its origins and meanings in today’s world, and as a graphic narrative. I never stopped focusing on pursuing my idea of writing a book highlighting black artists, and I’m currently still working on it now.

Throughout your career, what are some projects or examples of obstacles you faced as a designer that you eventually learned from?

After graduate school at Pratt, and when I began to teach, I traveled to give speeches and presentations around the country. My first ever conference was at North Carolina State. After finishing, a young student of color approached me, saying “my professor didn’t want me to interview you” because there are no designers of colors in the graphics and communications world who are worth knowing. This is what initially started my interest in writing the book I mentioned above; I saw a challenge and an obstacle in our society that needed overcoming, and it needed it now.

What are some barriers or challenges you have faced?

That’s a great question. I’m one of those people who has never taken no for an answer, or allowed anything to hold me back. I could go back 20 years, when I worked in corporate America and there were similar issues put forth on ways to combat diversity in the workplace. I see the same initiatives today, but nothing has really changed. It’s disappointing to say, but I feel that you can’t change peoples behavior based on who they want to hire and who they feel comfortable working with.

One thing I dislike, and a challenge I’ve faced many times, was a meeting I went to that addressed hiring practices and lack of diversity. In the meeting, everyone said lets bring in people of color, but restricted only the hiring to certain “ones.” I think there are still barriers that exist, many that are invisible, but many that are also hidden in plain sight. Will anything every go away? I cannot predict the future.

What advice would you give your 20 year-old self?

Be more proactive in some areas. Don’t feel like you have imposter system: I used to be shy about showing and talking about my work with other people. I’ve always wanted to design books, and I wish I could have done more of that early on. I also think that my younger self should have learned more about the business of design and finances. When I was younger, I did not know this, but it’s important to prepare yourself for the fact that your career may change many, many times; there is also a huge difference between a job and a career. Another thing: as a woman, do not give away your power.

What advice or trajectory would you give to young designers of color when entering the work force?

While in Graduate School (both times) I really began to learn how to research. Research is important. You don’t know anything until you research it. Also, things happen for a reason. Not everything you studied or start out doing will be what you end up with. So, be flexible and make sure to keep current on what is happening around the world, as the industry is constantly changing. In addition, when in school as a student, it’s not just about talking to your classmates, but really talking to and learning from your professors as well.

What message do you have for those following in your footsteps?

Stay current. No matter the profession, you must be able to stay on top of the trends, to understand new developing technologies, and more. My father used to say to me “Don’t settle for a job where you are just pushing papers.” So, stay relevant, push yourself, and make sure you get noticed.

What’s next for you?

So many things. I want to continue working as a designer, design researcher and strategist, teaching, and of course, writing. I’m particularly interested in research based design: what exactly impacts our human behavior, how companies prepare products and services based on these ideals, and how cities are working towards the future. These are all projects I’m interested in or working on, plus more that I can’t tell. But I’m excited about the work I’m doing.

Below are examples of Michele’s work:

Sprout By Design-Experience Map synthesizing contextual inquiry from Middle School's Urban Farming program in East Harlem.

Visual Identity for an exhibition, showing application of collateral materials.

Rebranding project for A Long Walk Home, utilizing personas.

Design Narrative