A pattern of unnecessary aggressiveness and hyper-discriminatory policing is common throughout the United States. Baltimore has paid out $5.7 million since 2011 to settle 100 lawsuits ‘‘claiming that police officers brazenly beat up alleged suspects”. According to the Buffalo News on December 8, 2014, the continuous occurrence of unnecessary use of force by White police against Black people is not a recent problem. It is a reflection on a legally sanctioned law enforcement system that existed in America before the Civil war from 1861 to 1865. The law was to control the slave population and protect the interests of slave owners. The similarities between the slave patrols and modern American policing are too subtle to dismiss or ignore. Hence, the slave patrol should be considered a forerunner of modern American law enforcement. (Turner, Giacopassi, and Vandiver 2006. 186).
Kathy Lanier, Chief police officer at Washington DC is against the unnecessary use of force by the police. Not because of her gender as a woman, and therefore speaking from a point of empathy, but she claims that the zero-tolerance in policing has ruined positive relationships between police and residents of high-crime neighborhoods.
Lanier has this to say “… neighborhoods that have the most homicides and shootings are also the neighborhoods that have the most victims and witnesses. These are the people that can help you, that know what’s going on. We destroyed that relationship, and they didn’t trust us. So we are going back and completely undoing that strategy”.
As simple as Lanier’s words may sound, the strategy to restore the public’s broken trust in the police is as complex as the strategy needed to install high tolerance in the police system after the officers have completed the implicit bias training and crisis intervention training course.
Ironically, according to Athens News on July 15, 2020, Athens City Council member, Beth Clodfelter said she recently met with Tom Pyle, Athens Chief police officer, and was confident in what Athens Police Department are doing to hold officers accountable in combating racism and police brutality” due to the new APD’s “implicit bias training and crisis intervention training”. All this while, we taught the implicit bias training and crisis intervention training was part of the police training course in every state since the year 2018.
On similar account, San Jose police on May 29, 2020, shot their own implicit bias trainer, Derrick Sanderlin,an African American who has been training them for three years. Again, the Minneapolis police officer who murdered George Floyd has gone through the implicit bias training course for five years.
On these accounts, the Strategy to reinstall public trust in the police as outlined by Kathy Lanier is not as relevant as the strategy to ensure that the police are getting higher scores in the implicit bias training course if the officers are graded at all. This reminds us of a quote from Claudia Rankine, an American poet, and playwriter, “Because white men cannot police their imagination black men are dying”
Education
Master of Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Ohio University, 2022
Thesis: Identimatics; Mathematical Grammar of Kente Patterns
Bachelor of Arts, Communication Design, (Multimedia) KNUST, 2016
Thesis: Managing Access to Students' Residential Facilities
Certifications
UX Certification, University of California, Berkeley, 2024
UX, UI Certification, School of UX Design, London, 2022
Visual Arts Management, Ohio University, 2021
Professional Experience
Visual Multimedia Designer
Varian Medical Systems | Palo Alto, CA
• Provides visual design support to various business units.
• Directs and produces leadership communication videos for internal and external audiences.
• UX Designer and content manager for the Radiation Oncology Business Area intranet.
Communication Designer
Cohear | Cincinnati, OH January 2021– January 2022
• Created visual content for social media and email ads.
• Designed research reports for Cohear, working with both state and private institutions.
• Conducted design research on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in African American communities, leading to a 236% increase in vaccination rates in Columbus, Ohio.
• Conducted design research for the Black Homeownership project in Columbus, Ohio.
Graphic Communications Designer
Ohio University | Athens, OH January 2020 – April 2022
• Collaborated with marketing, PR, and the Social Media team to produce creative assets for print and digital media.
• Designed branded souvenirs to support the School of Music’s Alumni fundraising campaigns.
• Revamped postcards to meet the new Ohio University’s brand guidelines for recruitment purposes.
• Participated in a weekly brainstorming session to design and implement recruiting and retention strategies for the School of Art + Design.
Graphic Design Fellowship
Adleta Galleries Ltd | Athens, OH September 2019 – May 2021
• Designed the book titled Drawing the Feminine and Masculine Form: Studies Interpreting the Human Form by Don Adleta.
• Designed the Focus Visual Translation book to revolutionize graphic design education in higher learning and design agencies.
• Curated, photographed, and coded over 4000 artworks to synchronize with a digital database.
• Designed a book titled "Drawing the Feminine and Masculine Form: Studies Interpreting the Human Form" by Don Adleta.
Assistant Visual Design Instructor
Real Skill Academy | KNUST, GH January 2018– August 2019
• Assisted in organizing weekend Graphic Design and 3D Modeling Classes.
• Guided design students in examining meaning through visual elements like typography, image generation, and manipulations.
• Assisted students in mastering the fundamentals of DSLR cameras for photography and video production.
Visual Multimedia Designer
Seventh Street Media | Accra, GH January 2015 – December 2017
• Edited behind-the-scenes music videos
• Collaborated with colleagues to manage light, cameras, and prop rentals for video production
• Collaborated with the creative team to design motion graphics, lower thirds, backdrops, posters, and movie covers
Graphic Design Intern
Active | Kumasi, GH June 2013– December 2013
• Worked with senior designers and other team members on design projects, assets, and deadlines.
• Researched design trends and best practices.
• Assisted in designing marketing plans and design concepts for events, campaigns, and promotions.
• Prepared files for print production.
Skills
Research
Contextual Inquiry, Competitive Analysis, Persona, Journey Mapping, Responsive Design
Collaboration
Design Critique, Prototyping, Flow Analysis, Detail-Orientation, Communicative, Strategy and Vision Presentation
Design
Style Guide, Storyboard, Information Design/Architecture, Gestalt Principles, Visual Design, Motion Design
Tools
Adobe Creative Suite, Cinema 4D, Figma, XD, Webflow, Powerpoint, Balsamiq, Miro, Maze
Honors and Awards
Student Enhancement Grant, $6000 | Ohio University, Athens OH, 2022
The Billman Award, $2500 | Ohio University, Athens OH, 2021,
Adobe EDU Design Achievement Award | California, 2019
Verified International Academic Qualifications, WES | New York, 2019
Graduate Recruitment Scholarship | Ohio University, 2019
Solo Exhibitions
Identimatics, Porter Hall, Pittsburg State University, Kansas, 2024
Global Arts Festival, Alden Library, Ohio University, Ohio, 2022
Identimatics, Ohio University Art Gallery, Ohio, 2022
Group Exhibitions
Storytime, Majestic Galleries, Nelsonville, Ohio, 2023
Legacy: Don Adleta and Karen Nulf, 60 years of Graphic Design, Kennedy Museum of Art, Ohio University, 2021
Silver Lining, The Ohio University Art Gallery, Athens, Ohio, 2020
Precipice, Trisolini Gallery, Athens, Ohio, 2020
Open Studios, Ohio University School of Art + Design, Seigfred Hall, 2019
Open Studios, Ohio University School of Art + Design, Seigfred Hall, 2020
Publications
Identimatics; Mathematical Grammar of Kente Patterns, Lulu Press, 2022
Studies Interpreting the Feminine Form, Don Adleta, Lulu Press, 2021
Studies Interpreting the Masculine Form, Don Adleta, Lulu Press, 2021
Managing Access to Students Residential Facilities, KNUST Press, 2016
Research Assistantships
Assistant Design Researcher: Focus Visual Translation and Seeing Harmony, Don Adleta and Tricia Hennessey, Ohio University Press, 2024
Lead Design Researcher: Black Home Ownership in Columbus: Opportunities for Wealth Creation, Cohear, 2021·
Lead Design Researcher: Leading Change: The Cincinnati Art Museum as a Catalyst for Reconciliation and Inclusion, Cohear, 2021·
Lead Design Researcher: The Greater Cincinnati Foundation: Racial Equity and Economic Mobility, Cohear, 2021
Lead Design Researcher: 15 Years of Achievements: Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Osei Akoto, 2015
Volunteer
Media Lead, Nsesa Foundation, Suacode.ai Kumasi, Ghana, 2021
Graphic Designer, Ohio University, Center for International Studies, Ohio, 2020
Curatorial Team, As Not For: Dethroning Our Absolutes, Ohio University Art Galleries, 2020
Multimedia Content Producer, CoolxDad - Texas, 2021
Graphic Designer, Mother of Mothers, Manhyia Palace, Kumasi, Ghana, 2015