Guiding Principles for Inclusive Design Values: Reimagining Design Practice and Education

by Anne H. Berry, Meaghan Dee, Rebecca Tegtemeyer

Overview

A practical, values—driven guide to inclusive design.

How can designers meaningfully contribute to a more just and equitable world? Guiding Principles for Inclusive Design Values answers this question with clarity, urgency, and actionable guidance. Structured around the six official commitments of the AIGA Design Educators Community Value Design Education Pledge, this book offers designers and educators a thoughtful framework for integrating inclusion, equity, and justice into every stage of their creative process.

Each chapter centers on one of the six core values—anti—racism, historical awareness, knowledge—sharing, impact, community, and wellbeing—and features contributors from across the design world. These diverse voices share tools, real—world case studies, and provocative prompts that invite reflection and inspire action. This book is a hands—on resource for individual creatives, design educators, and teams who want to align their design practice with their values.

Inside, readers will find:

• Six chapters based on AIGA’s official values commitments, each offering actionable insights
• Contributions from respected designers and educators, each bringing a unique perspective and experience
• Case studies and real—world applications that show inclusive design in action
• Guidance for teams and studios looking to integrate values into hiring, collaboration, and client work
• A practical framework for inclusive creativity, rooted in the real challenges of contemporary design

Perfect for designers at any career stage, Inclusive Design Values is a call to rethink how and why we create. It’s a must—have for anyone committed to using design as a force for change.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760397534
Publisher:	Rockport Publishers
Publication date:	06/02/2026
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Anne H. Berry is a writer, designer, and the director of the School of Design at the University of Illinois Chicago. Her research focuses on race/representation and educational pedagogy in the field of design, and her published writing includes “The Virtual Design Classroom” for Communication Arts magazine, “The Black Designer’s Identity” for the inaugural issue of the Recognize anthology featuring commentary from Indigenous people and people of color. She has also partnered with faculty across disciplines on grant—funded Internet of Things Collaborative projects, including the development of user experience design + augmented reality curriculum emphasizing communities and local history. She is a managing editor of one of Fast Company’s “Best Design Books of 2022,” The Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression, and Reflection, an award—winning anthology spotlighting teaching practices, research, stories, and conversations from a Black/African diasporic lens. Berry served as a board member for the Cleveland chapter of AIGA as Student Development Chair, Diversity & Inclusion Task Force Co—Chair, and President.

Meaghan A. Dee is both a practicing designer and educator. She is an associate professor and chair of Graphic Design as well as a senior fellow at the Institute of Creativity, Arts, and Technology at Virginia Tech. Meaghan also serves as a docent emeritus for the Letterform Archive in San Francisco. She served for six years (two as co—chair) on the AIGA Design Educators Community (AIGA DEC) Executive Board. Before academia, Meaghan worked as a designer for the Architecture and Design firm, Marnell Companies. Meaghan received the National Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement in Graphic Design by SECAC and was recognized as the Joan C. Edwards Distinguished Professor in the Arts by Marshall University. 

Rebecca Tegtmeyer is a graphic design educator and practitioner. Through her active research, writing, making, and teaching agendas, she investigates the role of a designer and the creative process through a variety of forms. Working both individually and collaboratively, she approaches design as a catalyst in facilitating systems that challenge and inspire—further extending the capabilities and responsibilities of a designer in today’s complex world. Current collaborative research projects focus on prioritizing the student experience and strengthening the values of design education. Rebecca is an associate professor in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University. She teaches undergraduates and graduates in the areas of interaction design, motion design, typography, user experience, and branding design. She is an active contributor to both the BFA in Graphic Design curriculum and the BA in Experience Architecture degree programs, and recently served as the associate chairperson of the department.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: I commit to being anti—racist.

• Design Representation for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, by Silas Munro and Brian Johnson
• Diversity by Design, by Sharon Oiga
• A Personal Manifesto about Transnational identity and racial equity, by Archana Shekara
• Experience with Designing the Black Experience in Design, by Renald Louissaint
  How Can I Be an Antiracist Designer? Design with Intent: Four Antiracist Design Principles to Guide You, by Chris Rudd and Latrina Lee

Chapter 2: I commit to upholding all design histories.

• Design, Diaspora, and Teaching Through Time and Space, by Jennifer Rittner
• An Interview with Haytham Nawar: Archiving and Graphic Design in the Arab world
• Rewriting the Record: The People’s Graphic Design Archive and the Future of the Canon, by Louise Sandhouse, Brockett Horne, and Briar Levitt
• Two case studies in Queer Design, by Andy Campbell
• Why Context Matters: a review of Centered, by Kaleena Sales
• Feminism and the Design Classroom, by Alison Place
• Looking at Koshimaki—Osen, Four Ways, by Aggie Toppins

Chapter 3: I commit to distributing knowledge.

• Interview about AIGA Design Podcast, with Lee—Sean Huang
• Interview about With a Cast of Colored Stars, with Kelly Walters
• Educating others of lessons learned, by Lisa Mercer and Terresa Moses
• Interview about Indigenous knowledge in design education, with Sadie Red Wing
• Essay about using your platform to share knowledge and create community, by Jarrett Fuller

Chapter 4: I commit to demonstrating impact.

• Interview with George Aye and Sara Cantor: Design in the Social Sector
• Design Anthropology's Impact: An Autoethnographic Reflection, by Christina Singer
• An Interview with Mirko Ilić: The Tolerance Project
• Coloring a Sustainable Future: Turning School Food Waste into Natural Pigments, by Yoon Jung Choi

Chapter 5: I commit to creating community and sharing culture.

• Challenging the Canon: South Asian Designers Shaping New Narratives, with South Asian Design Educators Alliance, SADEA
• Archana Shekara, Amrita Datta, Muhammad Rahman, Nipuni Siyambalapitiya
• An Interview with Andy Chen & Waqas Jawaid of Isometric Studio: Advancing inclusion, equity, and justice through design
• Creating Inclusive Trans and Queer Futures:  A Night at The Orfelia by Chelsea by Thompto and Lorelei d’Andriole 
• An Interview with Marty Maxwell Lane: Creating culture through administrative leadership
• Archive as Community Body by sair goetz and Menaja Ganesh

Chapter 6: I commit to promoting healthy life experiences.

• Crafting a trauma—informed design scope of practice (TBD) by Racheal Dietkus
• Designing Self—Observation: The Importance of Reflection in Design Education and Practice by Vinicius Lima
• Designing for Wellbeing: A Dialogue on Mental Health in Design Education and Practice by Meena Khalili and Gaby Hernández
• The Growing Disconnect between Education and Employment by Sarah Rutherford and Zachary Vernon