Brands should prioritize authentic representation by involving community creators, conducting deep cultural research, and engaging cultural consultants. Emphasize respectful intent, foster diverse teams, avoid superficial or fad-driven use of culture, show meaningful context, seek community feedback, and provide ongoing cultural education.
How Can Brands Avoid Tokenism and Cultural Appropriation in Imagery?
AdminBrands should prioritize authentic representation by involving community creators, conducting deep cultural research, and engaging cultural consultants. Emphasize respectful intent, foster diverse teams, avoid superficial or fad-driven use of culture, show meaningful context, seek community feedback, and provide ongoing cultural education.
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Inclusive Imagery and Brand Design
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Prioritize Authentic Representation
Brands should ensure that the imagery they use reflects the true diversity and lived experiences of the communities represented. This means going beyond stereotypes and including people from those communities in meaningful roles both in front of and behind the camera.
Collaborate with Community Creators
Working directly with artists, photographers, and creatives from the culture being represented helps ensure authenticity. These collaborations can provide valuable perspectives and prevent cultural elements from being used superficially.
Conduct Thorough Cultural Research
Before incorporating cultural symbols, attire, or practices into imagery, brands must invest in deep research to understand their significance. This helps avoid misinterpretation and shows respect for the culture's values and traditions.
Emphasize Intent and Impact
Brands should reflect on why they want to include certain cultural elements. The focus should be on celebrating and honoring cultures rather than using them solely for aesthetic appeal or marketing gains.
Engage Cultural Consultants
Hiring cultural advisors can guide brands in making informed decisions about imagery, helping them navigate sensitivities and avoid unintentional appropriation or tokenism.
Foster Diverse Leadership and Teams
Having decision-makers and creative personnel from varied backgrounds encourages a more inclusive approach to brand imagery, reducing the chance of tokenistic portrayals.
Show Cultural Context Not Just Surface-Level Symbols
Imagery should tell a story that reflects cultural depth rather than just featuring isolated elements like traditional clothing or artifacts without context, which can feel hollow or exploitative.
Avoid Using Culture as a Fad
Brands should resist jumping on cultural trends purely for commercial purposes. Long-term, consistent engagement with cultural narratives is more respectful than fleeting, opportunistic use.
Listen to Feedback from Communities
After releasing imagery, brands should be open to and actively seek feedback from the cultures represented, ready to make changes if concerns about tokenism or appropriation arise.
Educate Internal Teams Regularly
Ongoing cultural competency training helps teams understand the importance of respectful representation and equips them with the tools to create imagery that honors diversity genuinely.
What else to take into account
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