Gender Inclusion in Design
Our usage of the internet has evolved over time into a highly-interactive multimedia communication and entertainment medium. With our increased usage of the internet as ways to communicate, learn, and share information, it is only to be expected that higher levels of inclusivity have become necessary. Inclusive Design is the process of designing products, services, business and strategic models, buildings and environments in a way that increases accessibility and inclusivity for all people in their variety of human diversity. One of the key elements of inclusive design is ensuring that products, services, and environments can be tailored to individuals' unique needs and abilities, rather than forcing everyone to use the same thing or interact with something in the same way. One aspect of inclusive design examines ways in which we can design with diversity and gender inclusion and in mind. In the world of design, there are many traditions that unfortunately uphold stereotypical norms that can cause the way you design things to create environments of exclusion as well as lack of accessibility. Within this article, we discuss ways we can begin to incorporate gender inclusion into the design process, as this is a great first step for any business or organization to take to ensure they are creating an accessible and inclusive environment for their clients.
Understanding gender
Before we discuss ways in which we can begin to take a gender inclusive approach to design, it is important to first acknowledge gender as a whole. Here are three core aspects of gender that we must understand before attempting to create gender inclusive designs!
Gender is a socially constructed idea.
Gender can be expressed fluidly.
Gender is a spectrum!
Design and the gender binary
Design and branding approaches that uphold binary gender norms can reinforce exclusionary cultural norms. This ultimately upholds gender inequality. Branding and design can be (and should be!) for everyone. One thing that can often cause business owners and organizations to hesitate in regards to creating gender inclusive designs is the fear that it will disrupt their ability to target a specific niche. It is essential to understand that we can have a 'niche' or 'target market' while also being gender inclusive! Gender inclusion in design is a way that business owners and organizations can create a culture of acceptance, acknowledgement and diversity. Doing so is simply a way for people to practice ethical and human-centered business. This doesn’t take away from your ability to have a specific niche or target market, it just simply allows you to show that your organization values and takes representation seriously.
“When we deconstruct monolithic or binary approaches to gender in branding and design, we can begin creating for the pluriverse!”
Why gender inclusion matters in design
It's important to be empathetic, sensitive and considerate of gender inclusion when designing and branding. Otherwise, binary examples + eurocentric standards for what's considered 'normal' expressions of gender can uphold harmful (and exclusionary!) gender stereotypes. Design and branding often work off many gender binary cues, such as the way we work with color, typography, imagery, texture and shape... to how we use language and showcase products and services. We must challenge gender stereotypes in our branding and design... in order to embrace more fluid definitions of gender in our work.
Ways we reinforce the gender binary in design
Let’s look at some ways we currently and often uphold gender binary norms in design. Gendered design stereotypes are everywhere. Design is largely influenced by the (often white) male perspective. Below are some examples of ways we uphold gender binary norms in design:
"For Him" vs "For Her" Products
Thin, cursive fonts are used to express the female gender
Bold, sharp edge fonts are used to express the male gender
Soft edged shapes are used to express the female gender
Hard edged shapes are used to express the male gender
"Masculine" vs "Feminine" stereotypes upheld in color palettes
Sharp, straight lines are used to express the male gender
Soft, fluid lines are used to express the female gender
Softened textures used to represent the female gender
Rough textures used to represent the male gender
Male vs female physical feature stereotypes upheld in imagery
“Design is used to evoke feelings and convey messages, affecting our behaviors and perceptions. Design is influenced by culture and culture is influenced by design. Therefore, design has the ability to shift social norms!”
Ways that design upholds binary gender stereotypes with color
Color Theory and how the psychology of color is taught can often reinforce gender binaries!
Take the color BLUE: A color that is taught to convey loyalty, trust, success, power, peace, confidence, security, dependability, wisdom. This color is often associated with the male gender and is typically used in the industries of technology, entertainment, security, finance and accounting. This color is used to stimulate trust, productivity, security and to create order.
Pink wasn't associated with the female gender until the 1920's!
Consider the color PINK: A color that is taught to convey youthfulness, femininity, softness, calm, playfulness, creativity, nurturing, romance, and affection. This color is often associated with the female gender and is typically used for children's products, women's products, the beauty industry, and the fashion industry. This color is used to stimulate fascination, creativity, and action.
On the left side you will see an image with examples of designs that uphold the gender binary. We often see the gender binary upheld in design via the usage of color, shape, and texture. Certain colors are directed towards male-identifying individuals and other colors are targeted at female-identifying individuals.
We also see in the ways in which design is traditionally taught that there are gender stereotypes upheld through the ways in which we use shape and texture. Strong lines, sharp edges, bold fonts and rough textures are often used to target male-identifying people… where as thin lines, soft edges, cursive fonts and fluid textures are often targeted at female-identifying people.
The problem with these traditional design approaches is that they not only do not consider the fluidity of gender, but they reinforce exclusive gender binaries!
Ways we can begin to disrupt gender binary norms in design
On the right side you will see an image with examples of gender inclusive design specifically in branding. Branding is one of the most powerful ways we can begin to disrupt gender binaries. When we become more mindful of what stereotypes we are upholding with our design choices, we can begin to brand products, services, businesses and various projects with inclusion, accessibility and representation in mind.
There are two common ways we often see a disruption in gendered design:
A move into gender neutral design: Gender neutral design attempts to not position a design into any one type of gender, but rather, aims to become neutralized in appearance so that the design could potentially relate to any person.
A move into gender fluid design: Gender fluid design doesn’t avoid designing in what is often called ‘feminine’ or ‘masculine’ ways, but rather, it disrupts the stereotypes associated with what society deems to be ‘feminine’ or ‘masculine’. We often see this in color usage and style, where styles and colors that are often seen as feminine or masculine are flipped upside down, becoming incorporated in both/and/all ways.
There are many ways we can get started with prioritizing gender inclusive design. What I recommend doing first is auditing your current design processes and assets, looking to see if there are red flags that show that you may be unconsciously (or consciously!) upholding harmful gender binary norms. As you audit your own brand and design, look specifically at your usage of color, shape, texture, and fonts. Also consider how you may be purposing creating for male identifying or female identifying people, and what assumptions you are making about them that may be upholding gender binary norms.
Next, you can begin to craft a plan for how you intend to diversify your branding and design efforts, coming up with creative new ways to play with shape, color, texture, typography and branding so to ensure you are releasing any gender binary norms within your design process.
Finally, it is helpful to study designs and brands so that you can begin to notice how the gender binary is being upheld currently. Beginning to see just how imbedded harmful gender binary norms are in design is one of the most helpful ways to identify how you can take precautions to avoid doing so within your own brand.
Need support with moving your brand or business into a move gender inclusive direction? I’d love to help!
Check out my services or drop me a message!
Until next time…
Natalie Brite
