This International Indigenous Design Charter: Communication Design is a self-regulated, professional best practice guide. It supports existing policies, procedures and protocols that ensure the rights of indigenous stakeholders, including their intellectual property rights and emphasizes the crucial right to fair and informed negotiation and remuneration. The document does not claim to be the definitive answer to appropriate representation of indigenous culture in communication design. Instead it aims to encourage a climate of learning through active practice to guide designers to produce informed, authentic and respectful outcomes in the future.
The International Indigenous Design Charter: Communication Design can be used to help facilitate accurate and respectful representation of indigenous knowledge in design and associated media. The role of the Charter is to assist design practitioners but it is also intended to promote understanding among practitioners, their clients and the buyers of design including governments, corporations, businesses and not-for-profit organisations. It is a cultural innovation tool to be used by designers to explain the benefits of authentic cultural representation to their clients and to help them to understand the process required when referencing indigneous knowledge/culture in design. All design stakeholders need to understand that co-creation and the sharing of indigenous peoples’ knowledge must be undertaken responsibly. The cultural protocols included in this Charter recognise the diverse cultures and traditions of international indigenous worldwide and suggests that appropriate representation of indigenous peoples is best achieved when effective and respectful partnerships are established between relevant stakeholders.
The International Indigenous Design Charter: Communication Design is an open document, it will be reviewed on a regular basis and modified as required. Feedback and case study testimonials are welcome and will be acknowledged where appropriate and desired: Send email to aidc.feedback@deakin.edu.au