We’ve seen it before, but the first-ever Black Web Designers of the Year ceremony, hosted by the University of Southern California (USC) on Tuesday, is taking on a new meaning for the site.
The inaugural event, hosted in conjunction with the university’s Design Museum, will celebrate the talents of Black designers and their contributions to the Web design landscape.
Participants include:Black Web Design Magazine, a monthly web design magazine published by the university; and Black Web 2.0, a website dedicated to helping Black designers, web designers and other web professionals create better Web designs.
It’s not just the university that’s taking part in the event, as the site has been actively moderated.
The event will be hosted by UC-Irvine professor of digital arts and design Paul Bielenski and will feature panel discussions with the speakers.
Among the panelists will be Ben Daley, the author of the upcoming Black Webbook, who will discuss the importance of Black people’s design in the current political climate; and Dr. Shiloh Rinehart, a leading designer and lecturer on digital design and accessibility.
The university’s Art Center of Excellence, where the event will take place, is also looking to use the occasion to bring attention to the Black community.
The Black Web Awards, which have been held annually since 1997, recognize the top Web design projects of the year.
In 2017, the awards were announced by Google’s AdWords team.