Women In Design

A Look Into the Design Industry for Women’s History Month

When you think of “creative directors” or “art directors”, who is the first person you think of? Do you automatically think of a man? Well, it’s 2022, and although women make up more than half of the design industry, that has yet to be reflected in the industry’s leadership roles. The competitive and cutthroat nature of the design industry is often overlooked, but is especially so when you are a woman.

It’s hard to be taken seriously as a designer, especially by people who are not in any design-related industry and can’t comprehend how impactful design is in everyday life. Growing up as an artsy child, I was always praised for my creative talents. But that hasn’t necessarily translated into adulthood, and into professional careers. I often hear dismissive comments like “she’s just very crafty” or “she makes pretty pictures for a living”. I’m not looked at as a professional designer, just a glorified arts and craft-er.

Unfortunately, it’s even sometimes hard to be taken seriously as a female designer in the professional world. On multiple occasions, I’ve had to fight for fair pay. I’ve taken risks by refusing to sign a new contract unless the pay was more reasonable, knowing I was deemed disposable and could be let go for the stand-off.

I’ve also often found myself overshadowed by male designers in the workplace. There were several occasions where projects were given to male counterparts, even though I was more qualified for the work. In the end, I’ve had to go in and fix all of the mistakes made, and a lot of the time I was even the one forced to explain the mistakes and delays to the client.

Role Models

There are not a whole lot of female role models to look up to at this point. Even for me, most of my favorite designers are men. Go ahead and Google “Famous Graphic Designers” — how many women show up in the results? You’ll definitely come across icons like Paula Scher and Irma Boom, who have paved the way for many female designers and have been a huge inspiration for me personally, but you’ll really need to dig to find the many incredible women in design that can be an inspiration for a whole new generation of designers.

Moving forward, we need to see more female representation in the design community. The more women we have in leadership roles, the more relatable mentorship there will be for the younger generations of female designers. Women also need to build each other up. We as designers should be supporting other women in design. On that note, here are some of my female design friends that I greatly admire, and think you will too:

Madeleine Bennett has a fantastic eye for clean design, and creates the most adorable illustrations.

Kasi Lou Goshinsky creates bright, bold, and fun designs for digital marketing that are sure to catch your eye.

Alli Elster has such a great eye for typography, and creates beautifully well-rounded brands and cute illustrations.

Stephanie Belon creates incredible branding, marketing, and social content for iconic alcohol brands and Chicago restaurants.

Who are some of your favorite women in design? Shout them out and let’s continue to get women in design the recognition they deserve so future generations of designers have the mentors they need.

You can view my work at haleyfrankerdesign.com

If you have any questions, or want to just reach out and say hello, you can reach me or the IdeaBooth team at hello@idea-booth.com.