Cheryl D. Holmes-Miller

Designer, activist, and educator Cheryl D. Holmes-Miller is legendary for her 
decades of scholarship and advocacy, and as a touchstone and conscience for the 
design profession. In HERE: Where the Black Designers Are, Holmes-Miller 
documents the history of—and answers to—the question she has been asking for 
decades: “Where are the Black designers?” 
Holmes-Miller explores this essential question through the lens of her own 
development as a designer and leader, beginning with her own family and its rich 
multiethnic history. She narrates her experiences as a design student at Rhode 
Island School of Design (RISD), Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), and Pratt 
Institute, leading up to her oft-cited Pratt thesis examining barriers to success for 
Black designers. Holmes-Miller describes the work of her eponymous studio for 
noted clients that included NASA, Time Inc., and the nascent Black Entertainment 
Television (BET), as well as the story of her later critiques of the industry in Print
magazine and other design publications. Holmes-Miller also recounts the parallel 
history of collective efforts by fellow scholars and advocates over the past fifty 
years to identify and celebrate Black designers.
HERE is part memoir, part historical investigation, and an urgent call for justice 
and recognition for Black designers.
“This book is representative of the shoulders on which we, as Black graphic 
designers, stand. These are the legacies we are fighting to uphold and the torches 
we must continue to carry. The journey of the Black designer has not been easy. It 
isn’t easy. And while we may be left out of history books, this is a reminder that we 
are here. Always have been. Always will be.”—Tré Seals, Vocal Type

Kim Staunton

Recorded Books

Here: Where the Black Designers Are / A Life in Advocacy

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