According to a 2016 AIGA survey, 74% of the design industry is white. An overwhelming majority is also male, while female designers are found to have earned approximately 6% less across different design disciplines.
If you’re anything like me, a design student of Asian descent, these numbers may come off as a shock. A large population in Parsons’ Communication Design major is female, many of them people of color. The fact that my own experience does not line up with the rest of the design industry is not only uncomfortable, but also infuriating.
Design encompasses every facet of life. It is, in many ways, how we perceive the world. If that is true, then it is only fair to question: whose perspective are we looking out from?
Platforms like Instagram have enabled female designers to showcase their creativity, proving themselves to be formidable forces in this field. Here are 5 of the most exciting female designers you might want to follow.
- gentle.oriental
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Gabriella Widjaja, or better known as Gentle Oriental, is an Asian-American designer, illustrator, and tattoo artist. As their pseudonym suggests, Widjaja’s works are colorful and delicate, often borrowing images from her Chinese heritage. There is a dreamlike quality to her work that makes them seem timeless.
Widjaja is also the creator of We Are Still Here: A Digital Scrapbook of Asian Resilience. The 140-paged zine features family photos and stories of the Asian diaspora from various countries—a proud display of Asian resilience in reaction to Anti-Asian violence.
- louise__hardman
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Louise Hardman is a designer based in Manchester, UK. Hardman’s works are mostly editorial, along with some lettering and illustrations.
Hardman recently designed a bespoke brochure for ‘Unacceptable: The Exhibition’, a photography exhibit depicting the impact of everyday harassment experienced by women in the UK. The transformative leaflet design turned the two-dimensional printed matter into a three-dimensional piece that demands your interest.
- michelle.cpy
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21-year-old Michelle from Malaysia describes her own page as “your companion through experimental designs”. Indeed, her page displays illustrations alongside typography in various experimental compositions. Michelle combines the cute and the powerful with her pastel color palette and soothing message of self-care and relaxation.
This post from November 2021 is exemplary of Michelle’s message of affirmation, experimental typography, and ability to express a range of emotions via the most simple geometric illustrations.
- matratype
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Indian type designer Pooja Saxena, working under the moniker Matra Type, has been designing letters since 2010. Saxena’s main interest lies in the languages and scripts of India. Her works have been used in the cultural and educational aspects of India, and have been featured in international press in the likes of AIGA Eye on Design and Adobe Create.
Saxena’s work-in-progress includes the Devanagari companion to the “Bree” typeface, aiming to translate the form of Devanagari script while maintaining the quiet, friendly nature of the typeface.