# Design Justice: Center people who are too often marginalized by design

**URL:** <https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/t/design-justice-center-people-who-are-too-often-marginalized-by-design/2556>\
**Category:** Communication and collaboration\
**Created:** [May 24, 2021, 7:01am UTC](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/t/design-justice-center-people-who-are-too-often-marginalized-by-design/2556 "2021-05-24T07:01:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![aschrijver](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.opensourcedesign.net/aschrijver/32/2176_2.png) [@aschrijver](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/u/aschrijver)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2021, 7:01am UTC](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/t/design-justice-center-people-who-are-too-often-marginalized-by-design/2556/1 "2021-05-24T07:01:39Z")

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[![design-justice-network-principles](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/opensourcedesign/original/2X/8/868677ff222ef2e29c9c04e597b699387d4c5384.jpeg)](https://designjustice.org/news-1/2021/philanthropy-workshop)

Via [Nick Sellen](https://socialhub.activitypub.rocks/t/hospitality-exchange-community-considers-moving-to-the-fediverse/1765/8?u=aschrijver), developer of [Karott](https://karrot.world), I found the great **Design Justice** website:

> **[Design Justice Network](https://designjustice.org/)**
>
> Design justice rethinks design processes, centers people who are normally marginalized by design, and uses collaborative, creative practices to address the deepest challenges our communities face.

From the About page:

> We use design to imagine and build the worlds we need to live in — worlds that are safer, more just, and more sustainable.
> 
> We advance practices that center those who are normally excluded from and adversely impacted by design decisions in design processes.
> 
> We do this by following processes and creating work that is rooted in shared principles of design justice, growing our network of design practitioners and advocates, convening to maintain and deepen our connections, creating critical publications, and curating exhibitions.

Design Justice is based on a set of [**10 Design Justice Principles**](https://designjustice.org/read-the-principles) (I encourage you to read them from their page, but have copied them below):

- We use design to **sustain, heal, and empower** our communities, as well as to seek liberation from exploitative and oppressive systems.

- We **center the voices of those who are directly impacted** by the outcomes of the design process.

- We **prioritize design’s impact on the community** over the intentions of the designer.

- We view **change as emergent from an accountable, accessible, and collaborative process** , rather than as a point at the end of a process.

- We see the role of the **designer as a facilitator rather than an expert**.

- We believe that **everyone is an expert based on their own lived experience** , and that we all have unique and brilliant contributions to bring to a design process.

- We **share design knowledge and tools** with our communities.

- We work towards **sustainable, community-led and -controlled** outcomes.

- We work towards **non-exploitative solutions** that reconnect us to the earth and to each other.

- Before seeking new design solutions, we **look for what is already working** at the community level. We honor and uplift traditional, indigenous, and local knowledge and practices.

_(Note: This is a crosspost from [Humane Tech Community](https://community.humanetech.com/t/design-justice-center-people-who-are-too-often-marginalized-by-design/5224), Image credits: [Tamra Carhart](https://www.instagram.com/carhartcreative/))_