Katherine McCoy about Graphic Design in a Multicultural World

Katherine McCoy from High Ground design has written an interesting piece on multicultural design back in 1995.

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Lava Researches Multicultural Identities

Since january 2008 Lava is involved as researchpartner in the researchproject Multiplicity, a thinktank on design in the multicultural society organised by Design2context, Premsela, and BNO.

In this research Lava will focus on visual identities of organisations in a multicultural context. The current changes in society have challenged the role of the traditional identity and its visual language. Lava proposes the use of dynamic identities can help adapt corporate communication in a changing world. To make sure the broader public benefits from this research, Lava has made it their goal to search for clear solutions with a pragmatic approach.

For expertise Lava will be working with Forum, institute for multicultural development. Lava will research the influence of current visual language in a multicultural context and develop an approach towards a new visual language.

For more information contact us here.

Natural creation or systematic design

Natural identity that is created as part of local culture. This is the way our image culture and typography have orginated. Local fabrics, signpainters and architecture give a town or area their unique atmosphere. Even graphic designers often prefer this local design and image culture over corporate design, because it has a personality and identity that is not present in what they normally do for coorporations.

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Identity as monoculture

Nokia store in India and one in New York


Diversity or monoculture? Sans-serif logo's of a wide variety of companies.


One style implemented worldwide.

We are used to seeing organizational identity as a universal recognizable system. This has resulted in an implementation of a dominating western design culture all over the world with little or no respect for local culture. Globalization and the multiculturality in the western world has made this method outdated.
The question is how do we keep the systematic advantages of such a method, and still be able to diversify enough locally.

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Socially and culturally biased images

Advertising and design can still have downright racist or sexist content as this Heineken commercial shows.

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