Design teams so white

Hmm so how would those companies search out for that diversity. I get what you are saying but maybe it really is just a case of those minorities not applying or maybe if some did apply there were others who had better DT portfolios.

I just quickly looked at the photos but I know Victoria Marie has been a DT member for Hip Kit I believe.

I get tired of seeing the same designers over and over.

I feel like scrapping is dead for the most part compared to what it was at its peak. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the members were not from Utah. From what I've read over the years, the compensation isn't great either. In order to be on a design team they prefer you have a following on social media platforms. It seems like a lot of effort to be paid a minimal amount or compensated in products.

And the ability to make professional quality videos. I make crappy hand held videos of my husband for his job and we make a shit ton more than anything a scrapbook company would compensate. Like I’ve said on other posts, I refuse to do YouTube. I’ll watch gymnastics videos from pre 2000 and that’s about it. I’d rather just scrapbook rather than watch someone else do it. My kid likes to watch videos of other kids opening stuff and that’s so weird to me.

I only recognize 2 people above and only 1 who's style I actually like. Not only do I not follow many of the celebs anymore, nor do I follow their brands, DTs or anything bcz it's all just more advertising and selling me something. I don't need any more!

I guess bcz of that I have seen more diversity in the ppl I do follow. I also live in a diverse area, and while crops/events are majority white, there are other groups represented. I am def over the whole 30-something, sahm, I'm so cute with my hair piled on top of my head thing. Nothing against those like that, I pile hair on top of my head too sometimes, but just tired of seeing it. I tend to follow people in metropolis cities, so I guess see more diversity that way.

It is curious why they wouldn't try to reach out of the box more? But that whole utah/mormon thing dominated scrapbooking for so long, prob just gonna take more time to diversify more.

For those that mentioned supplies, I remember Geralyn (in a creative bubble) made a digi set and gave a bonus of different races for a doodle of a girl. I think there are prob more people doing that digitally. But yea, it would be nice to see more diversity in different ways.

Capital Chic Designs has just launched a full line of products with Michaels. Lamika Alston is the designer. She’s doing her own thing—no Design Team needed.

Good for you for recognizing it when you see it and calling it out. Some of those design team members look like different photos of the same person. There is no diversity represented. I saw ONE person of color.

I don't care how they get diversity but it is the job of the companies to recruit diversity. I don't care if people of color and non European ethnicities don't apply, seek them out. I wouldn't apply either if I was going to be one in a sea of white if at all.

That is why all the collections look alike. That is why they come up with the same themes over and over. This season it is rainbows I guess.

It’s obvious that there are a lot of talented and diverse crafters. However, I think there is a huge difference between wanting to be on a Design Team and having a successful YouTube channel with followers. The latter don’t need to be on a Design Team, and they probably aren’t interested.

Design Teams are a lot of work for some free stuff and some recognition. It’s a big commitment of time, and it may not necessarily come at a convenient time for you. You are expected to produce on a regular basis, particularly when there is a new release.

Not all YouTubers have the time to do both YouTube videos AND be part of a Design Team. At least with YouTube, they may have an opportunity to make money, and they are probably more likely to be able to make their videos/create their projects when it’s at least somewhat convenient for them. If it comes down to a choice, I think the YouTubers would be smarter to stick with YouTube, especially if they already have a following. They’d be crazy to want to be on a Design Team, too.

My favorite stamp company is Heartfelt Creations. Every year I think about applying to their Design Team, but only for a day or two, and then I come to my senses.

Out of curiosity, though, I looked at the current Heartfelt Creations Design Team Members to see how diverse (or not) they are.

At least 5 live in India, and one of those appears to be Muslim, based on her hijab. One lives in Pakistan. One is in Peru. One is in Scotland. They have Design Team Members from all over the world. Since their DT Members post only online, they can live anywhere. Some companies may want or need people to be local, which might limit applicants in places like Utah.

Edited to add: At the LSS where I used to work, their Design Team needed to be local, and it was fairly diverse. My favorite designer was black. However, it was also in Northern Virginia, an area where it is more diverse. Utah is mostly white. A lot of companies started in Utah, and employ people who live there, although I have no idea how their Design Teams are set up. Heartfelt Creations is in Indiana, but their Design Team members are not.

A company can reach out, but that doesn’t mean they will necessarily get eager applicants.

I agree completely about the product all looking the same. The thing is I believe we have to care about diversity because it does matter.

I crop often and about 1/3 of the ladies I scrap with are women of color. That is a large representation of scrappers, especially when you consider the products are generally not there for their demographic. Have you seen a non white Santa in any collection? I mean that's just a stereotypical example but my point is for the hobby to survive diversity is essential.

I have noticed an effort on the part of some companies to include random mermaids and princesses with dark skin, and this is all well and good, but the industry can do better. It's not like other crafts where everyone uses the same product, like cake decorating and knitting. This is memory keeping, and diversity is essential in product for a diverse population of scrappers.

That said, many scrappers are experts at making product work and using non theme product because they have that ability and love of the hobby to find a way to make it work.

I concur. I spent two years complaining to Crate Paper about their lack of diversity and I am glad to see some browner shades because we're all spending the same green money, so more shades isn't going to hurt anyone at all. I have had to color in people and throw some away because I wouldn't use it for a layout for myself or my children because we don't look anything like the silhouettes or images. We have very curly hair and lots of melanin, but we love creating art and crafts!

In regards to DT, I used to care when I was heavy into supporting all the brands and now I don't care because I stopped supporting many of the brands because it was the same 2-3 people of color in rotation and I never applied because I didn't want to be 1 of few, it's enough to be that person everyday in my field. 

Couple of thoughts on this subject as a Hispanic(Mexican) woman who has been a scrapbooker for 22 years. My 1st thought when I read the OP and looked at the pics is I could pass as any 1 of the these woman, as I am constantly mistaken for a "gringa", my favorite trick is suprising people by speaking Spanish. So I don't necessarily discount that maybe one of them could be an undercover minority like me.

Now like allot of you have stated design teams require lots of time and this hobby in general requires disposable income which allot of Mexican families do not have. And scrapbooking in the Hispanic community in general, is not a big thing at all. Like cristelina said, I am also usually the token Hispanic or minority at crops or one of just maybe a few.

I have seen a few Hispanic women on design teams before and I was very pleasantly surprised in a wow, they found another one, kind of a way! 😂

So it doesn't surprise me to not see any Hispanic women on the design teams shown in the OP, and if they are gonna go searching for them, they are probably gonna have search really hard!