Diversify Design by Fighting Bias from the Inside
A Q&A with Henry Martes, frog Associate Creative Director
It’s no secret that design has a diversity problem. According to the Design Census 2017, more than 60 percent of individuals in the design industry identify as White or Caucasian. Of those surveyed, only 8 percent identify as Latina/Latino/Latinx/Hispanic.
Henry Martes, Associate Creative Director at frog New York, is on a mission to help change that ratio. We sat down with him to discuss the specific challenges that underrepresented communities experience in design, his more than 15-year ongoing engagement with the Latino-focused ASPIRA Association, and what all companies can do differently to bring more diverse voices into the design world.
Q: Design, like so many other industries, lacks diverse representation from those of different abilities, genders, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds — especially in leadership roles. Have you encountered this in your own career?
I am always observant of the environment I am in. When I go into my meetings, when I’m doing my work, I’m usually the only person of color there. I stick out. The typical argument is “blame the source,” to say there aren’t enough talented designers from diverse backgrounds. But we all have to be conscious of the factors and fight against them to bring people in.
Q: What is ASPIRA? How did you get involved?
Aspira means ‘to aspire’ in Spanish. The organization was founded by Dr. Antonia Pantoja in 1961 to address the overwhelming Puerto Rican high school student dropout rates in New York. Since then, the organization has expanded nationwide and its mission has expanded to promote Latino and minority leadership.
I first got involved with ASPIRA of New York while in high school, mostly as a way to connect with other like-minded individuals. As an ASPIRANTE (what we call ourselves) ASPIRA provided me a venue to learn and discuss my heritage and the struggles of being a minority in this country. They focused on developing my leadership skills and getting me ready for college. After high school, they awarded me a scholarship to go to college. Today I’m working with the organization to find inroads to design and technology for ASPIRANTES in high school and middle school.
Q: Why is representation especially important in design?
When you design, there are consequences. What you design can have biases. If we’re not in the room to be a part of those conversations, then those decisions are made without us, whether purposefully or not. It’s stuff like English-only signage. If there’s no one there to warn about possible bias there, it goes ignored, and people are left out. A more diverse set of people make a more robust design — a design with more perspective.
On the other end of it is understanding who is using what you design. There is no generic user, but instead groups of people we call the ‘user.’ We need to be able to ask: who are those people behind the user?
Q: What could we all be doing differently to make design more inclusive?
We need to be able to create a culture of fostering design talent within minority communities — even when it’s not for hiring. We need to ask ourselves how we can invest in an inclusive way and become a harbinger of change. I‘ve worked in several design agencies and the competition for top design talent usually means we are hyper selective and it’s a complete meritocracy. I think we can keep a high standard, but still open the doors.
Q: How do you bring a more inclusive mindset to your work at frog?
frog has encouraged me to be active. I often use frog’s name as a bargaining chip or an entry into different spaces, whether it’s setting up tours for young students, getting conversations going at an event, or opening the studio and our network up for me to bring something to the table. They haven’t said ‘no’ yet.
Something I was recently able to push for was academic partnerships outside of the normal talent pool, like recently with Lehman College. Not a lot of Latino parents are ready to pay for their kid to go to an expensive design school. It’s just not happening. If all design firms are looking for talent in the same distinct schools, then we’re already deciding to limit options to more privileged students. People get left out.
Q: What do you say to organizations that may be intimidated by the work of broadening their recruitment practices to bring more minority communities onto their teams?
It’s hard to tell companies to take a chance because they think it means compromising standards. It’s not. We should be the engine for change by going into these schools that we’d normally ignore, finding the bright diamonds in the rough, the creative people who right now might not yet see themselves as being very talented. Based on who you know, what you know, what networks you’re in, I think new opportunities can open up.
Q: What has surprised you about how your own views have evolved over time?
I have developed and sometimes completely changed my perspective. When I was younger, I used to argue for more people to just learn English if they wanted to get ahead in the US. Now I know better. I understand what people are up against, and how hard it is to adopt a whole new system of communication.
Q: What’s something you wish more people understood about the sort of challenges underrepresented communities face when starting a design career?
There’s context behind where you grew up. A lot of people don’t understand that for many people who can’t see themselves in a field like design, it’s because they haven’t seen anyone like them doing this work before. The only limit is the limit you put on yourself. You can be a driven person, but there is a need for a network, a community to find yourself in. Being a creative person is part having that creativity, and the other part is being willing to believe in yourself. That’s why representation matters. You have to model yourself after someone.
Q: Along with your work with ASPIRA and at frog, you speak at conferences, host workshops and have even judged junior designers in competitions. Do you ever worry about one day having to compete against the young talent that you mentor now?
No way. I feel like a dinosaur every day and that’s absolutely fine. Want to disrupt everything? Yeah, fine. Come disrupt everything. I’ll bring the perspective of my experience.
