Many of us experienced a design education that focused on eurocentric history and theory while de-centering BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) perspectives on type, design, information systems, and ways of knowing. Often, students whose histories and experiences are ignored or erased miss out on the opportunity to learn about the creative work of their predecessors, and many aren’t given the space to question the values behind the aesthetics of classically-taught type history (e.g. Gutenburg, Bauhaus, Modernism). As professionals, many of us are left wanting a more diverse, intersectional view to ground our creative practices as we grow in skill and perspective in a rapidly changing global type & design landscape.

There is a diverse world of type tools, systems, theories, and histories worth exploring for creatives who are ready to deepen their practices and update their personal canons.

Provoking Type is a 5-week course that invites participants to take a critical & decolonial lens to type and its role in history, culture, technology, power structures, and identity to explore and reimagine the narratives, contexts, and futures of type. Instructor Schessa Garbutt and guest lecturers offer their critical perspectives on type as a tool and medium, centering BIPOC and othered histories, research methods, and intellectual mirrors while examining classic eurocentric, patriarchal, and capitalist views of the craft.

Plainly, this class is for creative folks with ideas about how they want to get into good trouble with type, and use their design powers to affect positive change in the world.

Audience and Format

This course will be taught via Zoom and Slack, meeting weekly online. This class is for creatives looking to expand their personal canons around type and design while challenging internalized notions of what type is and what their design practice can be. Creatives of all backgrounds and experience levels are encouraged to apply. Each week, students will watch or read a text related to the upcoming lecture. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to actively contribute to class conversations and knowledge building.

Goals

• Collectively create a critical thinking framework for discourse around type.
• Strengthen our ability to articulate and elaborate on the contemporary challenges/desires/ideas we have about type and design.
• Clarify and embody our personal praxes (reflection, theory, action) to guide our future creative work.
• Co-create a learning environment that de-centers eurocentric perspectives & pedagogy.

Learning Outcomes

• Learn frameworks for thinking critically in relation to type and the design field at large.
• Learn how to understand our own positionalities and question our biases as designers & non-neutral actors in the world.
• Build skills in writing about, articulating, and pursuing a decolonial type & design practice.
• Deepen knowledge in type & design histories of the global majority.

Material Requirements

• A reliable internet connection
• A device capable of Zoom and Slack apps
• A free Zoom Account
• A free Slack account (an invitation to a class group will be sent to each participant)

Scholarship Information

Scholarship seats are available for this course. Please check out more details on the scholarship page. This scholarship is open to all Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, with priority given to those who have limited resources or access to educational opportunities.