Dr Anastasios Maragiannis - School of Design (Deputy Head)
The Diversity and Inclusivity by Design (d+iD) research project is a collaborative project that explores ideas of diversity and inclusivity in the creative spaces of art and design through co-design methods. Conceived in 2016 and led by Dr. Anastasios Maragiannis, the project explores how to use co-design methods in order to empower marginalised groups. This project aims to highlight this under-investigated aspect of design and has positively impacted the social, political and educational landscape. The Diversity and Inclusivity by Design (d+iD) research project is a collaboration with a number of different organisations that are committed to highlighting how generating change through creative means can produce a positive impact in society.
Primary beneficiaries have been:
The design sector, through awareness-raising on the approach leading to a perceptual change amongst established design practitioners regarding the possibilities of co-design to produce positive social change, as well as marginalised groups and young people (ages 16-34) within the design sector (eg. economic migrants and refugees).
The International Refugees Forum (Greece) and The Cyprus High Commission (London) who have both initiated policy change to create a new framework (where there was none) that is shaping their cultural departments; using diversity and inclusivity as tools that can provide economic immigrants and refugees visibility through creative means.
The audience members who have attended multiple events run by Maraggianis to engage civil society, businesses, the public sector and general public to showcase the benefits of inclusive design. Examples of these events are the Design Roast Lecture Series (a weekly forum and annual event), two exhibitions at the London Design Festival (in collaboration with FABRICA Research Centre (IT), AIGA (USA), International Refugees Forum (GR), the Greenwich Autistic Society (UK) and supported by EXONERA and ECOLUXE London), the Creative Citizens of Europe exhibition in Athens in March 2019 (which investigated how designers might engage refugees through design and the arts), together with a number of events including co-design workshops in Greenwich (2018), Lille, and Waterloo (2019), Herne (2020) and a Symposium (October 2019), a talk at the ArtCenter College of Design’s Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography in Pasadena California (January 2019) and a panel discussion in Athens (March 2019).
