Tech Equity Collective
Activating a new approach to accelerating Black genius everywhere
During a moment when performative gestures towards equity in the workplace were spreading like wildfire, Google committed to building a sustainable plan for leading the tech industry in meaningful Black inclusion around innovation.
With all eyes on their response to questions of equity throughout the tech ecosystem, we stepped in to help them devise a strategy that would not only increase Black employment by the numbers in core technical roles, but also instill a lasting approach to improving Black lives—both inside the Google community and beyond its walls. We then developed a new name, identity, and website to represent a multitude of voices and perspectives.
How can a tech giant incite collective action across companies and organizations to deliver lasting change?
Inspired by the idea of collective action, the brand draws from the many voices within the Black community: a profoundly diverse and multifaceted pool of perspectives and experiences.
After gathering input from across the tech industry—from academic experts to tech insiders to Google’s own employees—we crystallized a vision that would focus the effort and engage Black tech professionals. We then explored several directions for how this initiative could authentically manifest in the world through programming recommendations and a new name that fully encapsulates the vision. The identity and website followed, providing a digital space that invites people to share stories, perspectives, and insight.
For the Identity, we looked at how we could pull apart aspects of Google’s brand in order to feel both connected and reimagined to it while making space for the collective’s many partners. One of their core design principles is “build from white” so we turned this on its head and built every layout from black. The custom logotype and website navigation further reflect different pieces, pathways, and journeys coming together.
Tech Equity Collective first launched at the There’s Something In the Water festival in 2022 and has shown up at many other high profile events, loudly voicing the call to unleash Black genius in tech. Our partnership with Tech Equity Collective continues as we push to make sure that the vision is fully realized.
