This February, we invite you to join us in recognizing and celebrating the significant impact of Black voices in industrial design. Throughout the month, we’re highlighting the valuable contributions made by Black designers throughout history. Explore the stories of iconic designers below and follow IDSA on Instagram for more social spotlights.
Charles "Chuck" Harrison
Charles “Chuck” Harrison revolutionized the field with iconic creations such as polypropylene trash cans and the 3-D View-Master. Graduating from the Industrial Design program at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1954, he became the first African American to achieve this milestone, breaking barriers in a predominantly white industry.
Harrison’s impact extended beyond his groundbreaking achievements as he led Sears’ design team for an impressive 32 years. During his tenure, he crafted over 700 practical domestic goods, showcasing adaptability to the evolving needs of American homes. After 1993, Harrison transitioned into education, sharing his wealth of experience at Chicago-area institutions.
Madam C. J. Walker
Madam C. J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove, was a pioneering African American entrepreneur and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the beauty and cosmetics industry in the early 20th century. An industrial design trailblazer, Walker revolutionized the market by creating a line of hair care products specifically formulated for African American women.
Her approach not only addressed the unique needs of her target audience but also set new standards for product development and packaging within the beauty sector. Walker’s success extended beyond business, as she became the first self-made female millionaire in the United States.
Spencer Nugent
Spencer Nugent, the founder of Sketch-A-Day.com and IDSKETCHING.COM, stands as a leader in the industrial design community. With a career spanning over two decades, Nugent’s influence extends beyond his design work for prominent brands such as Microsoft, Intel, and Adidas.
Nugent has cultivated an extensive network within the design industry since 2008, providing free, high-quality online design sketching tutorials and conducting on-site sketch workshops.
As the emcee for IDSA’s virtual International Design Conference 2020, Nugent was honored with the prestigious IDSA Individual Achievement Award for his sustained contributions to the field. His impact goes beyond accolades, reaching countless aspiring designers globally through his engaging teaching style and quick, helpful tutorials across various platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Lesley-Ann Noel
Lesley-Ann Noel, Ph.D. boasts a diverse career that spans academia, corporate leadership, and research. With degrees from Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and North Carolina State University, she brings a unique global perspective to her role as an Assistant Professor of Media Arts, Design, and Technology at North Carolina State University’s College of Design.
With a focus on emancipatory and community-led research, Lesley-Ann has made significant contributions to social innovation, education, and public health.
Co-chairing the Pluriversal Design Special Interest Group of the Design Research Society and co-editing The Black Experience in Design, she actively contributes to diversifying design narratives. Her recent book, Design Social Change, provides designers with practical mindsets, principles, and recipes for driving transformative change in an accessible and empowering manner.
Ed Welburn
Ed Welburn, a distinguished figure in the realm of automotive design, spent an illustrious 44-year career at General Motors, culminating as the company’s first global head of design.
Welburn’s journey began with a childhood passion for cars, sparked by a transformative encounter with the 1959 Cadillac Cyclone concept at the Philadelphia Auto Show. Despite facing initial rejections from design schools, Welburn persevered and found his way to Howard University, where a unique car design curriculum was crafted for him within the art school.
His unconventional path led to a GM internship that evolved into a remarkable career. Welburn’s impact on the automotive landscape is marked by his leadership in designing iconic vehicles such as the Volt, Hummer, Escalade, and Corvette.
Mary Kenner
Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner, born in Monroe, North Carolina, was a pioneering African American inventor with an impressive array of patents, holding the record for the most patents granted to any Black woman by the U.S. government.
From an early age, Kenner displayed a natural inclination for invention, attempting to create a self-oiling door hinge at just six years old. In 1957, Kenner patented the sanitary belt. This innovation aimed to address the common problem of menstrual blood leakage on clothing.
Despite facing discrimination when attempting to market her invention due to her race, Kenner persisted in her inventive pursuits, patenting items such as a walker attachment with a tray and pocket in 1976 and a toilet paper holder in 1982. Her final patent, granted in 1987, was for a mounted back washer and massager.
IDSA's Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Founded in 2020, IDSA’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Council (DEIC) is a cornerstone of our ongoing efforts to foster opportunity, equity, and representation within the design profession. Hand in hand with the DEIC, we are investing in:
- Increasing diversity and minority representation in IDSA’s core programming, events, leadership teams, membership, publications, partnerships, awards, and scholarships
- Developing new pathways and partnerships that will extend IDSA’s ability to support minority and low-income communities, and to increase access to industrial design education and professional opportunities
- Being a catalyst in transforming the industrial design industry so that it better reflects our diverse country and world, and to dismantle the structural racism and inequities that permeate design and our communities
Committing to and realizing their success will have a profound benefit that impacts so much more than just our organization alone. We want to demonstrate that institutional change is possible and we must lead by example.
To get in touch with the DEIC leaders, please email [email protected].