RESPECT ME

Respect Me features 34 designers and over 25 distinct designs that address female empowerment. Participating designers come from a mix of creative backgrounds, including graphic design, UX design, electronics design, mechanical engineering, architecture, and industrial design.

“This year marks the 5th anniversary of our NYCxDesign Week event, so we wanted to make it our most impactful show yet,” said Krystal Persaud, Founder & Director of the Grouphug collective. “Grouphug was founded out of the belief that designers can and should use their creativity to address important societal issues. We don’t need another line of high-­end chairs— we need creative solutions to complex problems that affect billions of people every day.

“We selected a theme that is top of mind for all of us these days: gender inequality. Why are women systematically undervalued and disrespected, and what could we design to address this? We received a record number of submissions, from designers all over the world,” said Persaud.

The designs on display range from market­ ready products to product prototypes. Highlights from the show include:

A concept that aims to redefine the perception and experience of the birth control pill, by Colleen Schikowski & Jenny Yoo.

A sexual harassment reporting app, by Veronica Orecchia.

A children’s book that teaches both girls and boys about gender inequality, by Nahin Shah & Luz Cabrera.

Feminist flowcharts to help men and women navigate the minefields of consent, by Dalal Elsheikh.

Grouphug is a design collective that pushes designers around the world to use their talents and creativity to tackle thorny society issues, from “Trigger ” about gun violence (2014) to “Feed Me” about nutrition (2015), and more. The collective was founded in 2014 by product designer Krystal Persaud, currently the Director of Product Design at New York based tech startup littleBits.