Culture Specialists
By Lucas Daniel
A design firm may be large, but that doesn't mean it can tackle any culture-specific design job. Sometimes individual designers or small groups that understand the subtle nuances of a particular culture do the best design because they live and breathe it every day.
Web designers must create a visual vocabulary that communicates to a site's users and blends with their culture. This culture can be defined by the common characteristics of any group, such as loyalty to a sports team, political affiliation, philosophical identity, or nationality. Too often, however, designers botch good ideas because they don't understand the users' culture. This results in bad design and an unvisited site.
If we use urban culture, and specifically hip-hop culture as an example, we find this translation is extremely complex. Designing hip-hop Web sites is best left to those who identify with the culture. Although hip-hop music has gained mainstream exposure over the past few years, true hip-hop enthusiasts, also known as "hip-hop heads,'' are quick to point out those who are faking it. So designers must be authentic, or "keep it real" when presenting this culture to its patrons. They also must give the sites global appeal, as they're giving global access to underground elements of hip-hop culture, including music, fashion, style, and news.
Three sites that accomplish this well are Platform Network, Quannum Projects, and Rapstation. These designers are true hip-hop heads who have genuine interest in the culture. Although the visual language is similar throughout the sites, there are subcultural distinctions that only someone who knows the culture can present.
