As graphic designers, we shape our world and its ideologies from visual culture. Project Sanskofa is designed to poke and prod at the tradition of visual perspectives by challenging how we broaden and enrich the theory. This work exists on a multitude of platforms, utilizing lesser-known stories of historical designers of color, inviting alternative methods, and welcoming a new era of visual storytelling and canon-making. With influence from the Ghanian Adinkra proverb sankofa, go back and get it, Project Sanskofa focuses on the sentiment of retrieving our collective design history.

The motivation for this work was inspired by my upbringing. My parents were brought up in a country that did not grant them equal rights until their twenties. As a result, my experiences as an American of color has been shaped by generational frustration and skeptical gratitude of progress. How I see the world, and the effort to control what the world sees of me is an ingrained practice and tradition. In my culture, representation not only impacts identity but survival. How you are seen not only defines your story but how your story is told.

The value of imagery and visual storytelling is understood across every culture in human history. The interwoven stories, teachings, techniques, ideologies, histories, and contributions of our cultures have shifted and shaped every facet of our world. However, our society emphasizes eurocentric contributions in canonical hierarchy.

By acknowledging historical designers of color and exploring their practices as technical templates for accessibility, palatability, and longevity, we can begin to redesign a more authentic manifestation of visual alchemists. Through digital and mixed media, Project Sanskofa seeks to challenge the imagery we create, expand who we define as designers, and further aid the ever-growing community of designers trying to fill the gaps of our canon.