The Noun Project: Addressing The Gender Gap Through Iconography
Over recent years, the topic of gender equality has become more prevalent in the media, politics, and even in my own home. As Ellevate’s Designer, I’ve become even more vocal and knowledgeable in how women are perceived in the workforce and in society.
So when The Noun Project came to New York City on their last stop in the Redefining Women Iconathon in April, I knew that I needed to participate.
Still feeling nervous and unsettled in my new life, in a new city, and within the design community, I felt that this was the perfect opportunity to start conversations with other designers and the general public. This event provided the chance to discover new perspectives around gender topics; and allowed me to flex my rusty illustration skills.
Before getting into the workshop portion, this full-day event was kickstarted by guest speakers Liz Danzico, Creative Director at NPR and Chair, and Co-Founder of SVA’s MFA, Interaction Design Program; and Susse Sonderby Jensen Senior Experience Designer at Adobe.
Danzico spoke about how women in senior design and creative roles were visually represented in the media and in our everyday lives. She then encouraged attendees to find mentors and advocates in leadership to drive forward the gender gap conversation. After, Jensen educated the room on why we need to be mindful of unconscious biases influencing design decisions, and how to promote inclusion.
The Workshop
Both the general public and designers were welcomed to participate in group discussions and drawing exercises. Groups collaborated with their teams to draft sketches related to occupations from the list we were given on blank cards.
After a set period of time, the-voted-for artist within their group drew their design on official grid paper, to then post on the submission wall. This process was repeated several times, until the last hour of the workshop.
Voted and Validated
The final duration of the workshop was then dedicated to voting and final remarks.
Once participants finished voting, the host of the event got in front of the group to highlight a few standouts.
Picked From the Rest: Results of the Iconathon
To my pleasant surprise, I was chosen to come to the front to talk about my sketch of a woman freelancer.
This was so exciting because, at the beginning of the workshop, I felt very rusty and lacked the confidence to conjure up my past drawing abilities after the many years since my last drawing lesson. Very soon, I motivated myself to do the best that I could, saying in my head, “you didn’t take art lessons since you were younger than 8, to let this freak you out into leaving”. So I picked up a pencil and just started sketching.
I thought back to my past experiences managing bloggers during my academic and early professional career. I thought back to conversations and articles around the freelancer lifestyles in having to juggle so many different facets of their work-life -balancing clients, projects, time, and finances. This almost literally translated into my design.
Sketching, done.
After the sketching portion of the day was completed, I realized how imperative it was to have new experiences as a designer. Travelling, being comfortable with feeling uncomfortable, putting yourself in new environments, and taking on new roles, had helped broaden my mind and approach to design.
By the end of the workshop, you could feel the exhaustion and exhilaration in the room. By being able to talk to other designers and people outside of my field, I was privy to a lot of interesting conversations, that created lasting motivational energy well after I left the workshop.
Fast-Forward to October
A few months later it was a typical day at work, and I was sifting through my emails. In InVision’s newsletter, a post of an iconathon caught my eye.
It was about the very same event that I participated in, with updates around sketches being digitally rendered and now available for public use!
Inherently curious, I needed to see which designs made it to the final library. I wasn’t completely convinced that my freelancer design made it because there was no guarantee that it would be chosen for the library.
A few months later it was a typical day at work, and I was sifting through my emails. In InVision’s newsletter, a post of an iconathon caught my eye.
It was about the very same event that I participated in, with updates around sketches being digitally rendered and now available for public use!
Inherently curious, I needed to see which designs made it to the final library. I wasn’t completely convinced that my freelancer design made it because there was no guarantee that it would be chosen for the library.
Not one, but two designs were digitally rendered!
Not only was my freelancer icon in the official library, but also my rendition of a female chef. As a person who inevitably became a foodie during years of watching Food Network during university, this category really resonated with me.
I sifted through the following questions in my head before putting pencil to paper.
How does a female chef look like?
What could they be doing in the kitchen?
What sort of tools do you commonly see chefs using that would resonate with the general public?
Which tools would be rendered well in icon form?
My answers were flashes from the show Top Chef, and Chopped. Both shows I religiously watched while I was an undergrad...and even now.
FINAL TAKEAWAY
Back in April, I was still experiencing a bit of imposter syndrome, after shifting careers from a digital marketer of 6+ years, to a full-time product designer in late 2018. I knew after hustling hard between school, a few jobs at start-ups, and a paid part-time job, that it took guts, drive, and research to pursue an unconventional path to a goal you were passionate about.
I put myself out there because I wanted to be able to say that I tried it, over not trying it at all.
Each of my new experiences unintentionally have made me and continue to make me a better designer in how I interpret the world on the digital screen.