NJBW
Pod
ideating ways to evolve attitudes about race through productive conversations
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Project Type
personal project
communication design
brand strategy
Skills
team forming
secondary research
research synthesis
brainstorming
prototyping
storytelling
Role
co-founder
creative director
The Challenge
With the nationwide protests sparked on behalf of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, I was moved and inspired to act. For years, I had been curious about the experience of ethnic minorities within America, but I had waited too long to finally begin educating (and un-educating) myself.
After having conversations with a Black coworker, we realized the power of dialogue and that the truth about race is Not Just Black and White. We began exploring the idea of starting a podcast! The result?
The beginning of a lifelong educational journey + foundational concept, brand assets, and initial experience needed to begin the “Not Just Black & White” podcast
The final prototype of our podcast logo: using a variety of skin tones to
illustrate that the truth about race is “Not Just Black & White.”
The Process
I was seeking out documentaries and books on Black History and the Black American experience. I then approached my coworker, asking if he would feel comfortable to lend his perspective and insights. We began to have regular, in-depth conversations on various facets of race and privilege. Slowly, we started to wonder:
What if we shared our conversations with the world?
With a mutual interest in exploring the idea of pursuing a podcast, we brainstormed our central intent and where we might fit into the space. We developed the following foundational description:
”Step inside the conversation of a white woman and a black man from vastly different parts of the country getting to know each other’s experiences. We’re documenting our journey of learning about the other’s America. The conversation starts around what appears to be the central tension of race in the US: White and Black Americans. But we expand to include curiosity and dialogue around all races, because we know that America and the truth about race is Not Just Black and White.”
A snapshot of episode planning. This episode centered on expanding perception of Black History to American history.
Having established that our podcast content would be centered around “authentic, laughter-inducing, welcoming, and lit” dialogues between people of different races, I jumped into creating a brand vision for our assets! Choosing colors that represented a range of skin tones coupled with friendly illustrations, I led the execution of our brand assets with the help of a very talented friend and graphic designer.
The Result
I created episode content diving into research across a variety of topics including the origin of the concept of race, the definition of privilege, and untold Black stories during the Civil War and “Reconstruction.” After recording a trailer and an initial episode, life took unexpected turns for both of us and currently, the podcast is on hold.
However, efforts to get the podcast off the ground served as the beginning of a lifelong educational journey for me. And I still have dream of making this podcast (or for now, maybe a personal blog on my learnings) a reality someday soon.
lessons
Some efforts don’t turn out the way you intended, but they still have value
Open, vulnerable conversations connect us as human beings
We’re likely to be no more than 50th cousins from any other human on the planet