Page 5 - Extra_Bold_movie-clip-edit

about this book
EXTRA BOLD 5
The idea for this book germinated in March 2018, when Farah Kafei and Valentina Vergara organized an exhibition about women designers at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Kafei and Vergara, who were graduating seniors, were frustrated that their education at Pratt had focused on White male role models, despite the fact that Pratt is ethnically and racially diverse and that the majority of the school’s design students are women.
On the night of their exhibition opening, Kafei and Vergara organized a panel discussion inviting several designers to talk about their experiences in the industry. The auditorium was packed with people who had come from around the city and beyond. In the Q&A session, designers stood up and spoke about their hopes and worries as women, immigrants, and transgender creatives starting their careers. They wanted tools for building a sustainable and inclusive design practice.
Inspired by the energy in that room, Ellen Lupton approached Kafei and Vergara about collaborating on a book. Extra Bold took root that night, and it grew and grew. Over time,
a team of authors came together. Jennifer Tobias, an artist
and scholar, created dozens of illustrations for the book and wrote about topics ranging from office politics to the lives of marginalized designers. Leslie Xia, an art director in New York City and a graduate of MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art), brought their expertise as a queer, gender-nonconforming designer of color. Kaleena Sales, a professor at Tennessee State University, wrote about teaching Black designers, and she explored theoretical concepts surrounding structural racism and equity
in design. Josh A. Halstead, a designer, educator, and disability advocate, contributed essays about design and accessibility. Kafei and Vergara interviewed designers, shared their insights
as young women entering the profession, and provided ongoing critiques of the book’s structure, voice, and visual style. Lupton used her publishing experience to produce the book and to seek