All Eyes on Europe: Challenging Eurocentrism in the Design Industry

We all have preconceptions about great design and where it comes from. Which countries do you see as the world’s preeminent design leaders? Italy? France? Spain? The UK? Think about the answer you would give before reading further.

If most of the countries that came to mind were European, you’re not alone. European countries are the dominant sources of inspiration, origins of high-end materials, and destinations for conferences in the design community. This fixation is extremely common outside of design as well, with many individuals and industries holding Europe in unusually high regard. Consider the following research, which was conducted to learn more about these perceptions:

1. Huffpost conducted a survey in 2012 with the purpose of determining what designers thought Europe was doing so right in the world of design. The most common answers referred to Europe’s focus on true innovation (a high level of novel ideas rather than copying or riffing on existing concepts) and an openness to the most cutting-edge and avant garde concepts (a lack of fear surrounding the truly new).
2. The University of Pennsylvania conducted even broader research in 2019, asking 20,000 people (not just designers) to rank countries based on seven perceived characteristics: entertaining, fashionable, happy, influential, modern, prestigious, and trendy. This data was compiled to create the Cultural Influence Ranking, a system that judges a country’s cultural influence. The top three countries were unsurprisingly Italy, France, and Spain.

While this perspective is extremely prevalent, it needs to be challenged. A single-minded focus on European influences ignores some of the world’s greatest design. But there is also an additional layer of danger to consider: this mindset has become a self-perpetuating cycle, where we focus primarily on European designs, further reinforcing our ignorance of groundbreaking developments happening outside of Europe.

In order to begin dismantling eurocentrism in design, we have to examine the objective reality of where great design actually comes from. The following three points may be eye-opening:

1. In terms of World Design Ranking (a metric that takes into account both the number and prestige of design awards), Italy is the top-rated European country. However, Japan is rated higher than Italy. So are China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Turkey.
2. Adjusted for population, the numbers become even more striking. While Italy has a population-adjusted score of 20, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong have 70, 105, and 279 respectively. Hong Kong leads the world in design awards per capita by a wide margin.
3. Looking at a different metric, Business Insider recently released a list of the 16 best design cities. Contrary to what you might have guessed, 9 of them were not in Europe. Examples from the list include Buenos Aires, Nagoya, and Montreal, cities that many designers (myself included) would not name as sources of inspiration.

The takeaway here is that while high-quality design is evenly distributed internationally, we often don’t act that way within the industry. Too often, established ways of thinking obscure the great work being done all around the globe. As designers, we need to examine our own biases so our methods can be inclusive rather than exclusionary.

If you’re at a loss about how to start changing your ingrained perceptions, I can make some suggestions. First, focus on something you believe to be true about European design. For instance, that Italy is a unique hold-out for artisanship in a world increasingly dominated by mass production. Italy is an excellent source for luxury tile and stone, but I want you to challenge the notion that it is the only place where this level of traditional craftsmanship still exists. For example, Japan is famed for its artisan woodworking prowess, both historically and in the present day.

Continue this mental journey by examining the myriad design strengths that countries you rarely think about bring to the table. New Zealand leads the way in sustainable and environmentally-integrated projects. Singapore literally wrote the book on urban biophilia. Canada’s design reflects its progressive multiculturalism. Japan is a world leader in micro-scale design and small-footprint construction. Brazil is an often-overlooked hub for minimalism and functionalism. And emerging design markets like South Africa continue to define themselves through homegrown projects, offering shockingly unique inspiration to the rest of the industry.

Eurocentrism is not unique to design. But by questioning why our eyes always seem to be on Europe, and by opening our eyes to the incredible design work being done all over the world, we can start down a path towards a more equitable and inclusive industry.