Sahibzada Mayed is a creative alchemist who uses design and storytelling to cultivate joy and imagination as tools of liberation. Mayed serves as the Co-Lead for Strategy and Research at Pause and Effect, a liberation-focused imagination and design collective based on Coast Salish territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Beyond that, Mayed leads a small-scale startup, Naranji, that focuses on gender justice and decolonization in fashion. Today, we talk about decolonizing design and creative liberation.

Listen to learn about: >> The impact of colonialism and power structures on design >> The need for critical social analysis in design >> Designing for Joy >> Decolonizing design >> The importance of locality and place in design >> Rethinking how we think about and experience systems Our Guest Sahibzada Mayed is a creative alchemist who uses design and storytelling to cultivate joy and imagination as tools of liberation. Mayed serves as the Co-Lead for Strategy and Research at Pause and Effect, a liberation-focused imagination and design collective based on Coast Salish territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Beyond that, Mayed leads a small-scale startup, Naranji, that focuses on gender justice and decolonization in fashion. Their work has been prominently featured during New York and Chicago Fashion Weeks and highlighted in several publications across the United States, Pakistan, Thailand, and Japan. Mayed's identity is shaped by their background as a Muslim immigrant of Persian, Afghan, Indian, and Pakistani heritage, as well as lived experiences of queerness, disability, and neurodivergence. Show Highlights [02:15] Mayed’s unconventional journey into design, combining engineering and social sciences. [04:05] How this background has helped Mayed in their work. [06:01] Mayed’s current work focus is on understanding the impact of colonialism in design. [07:36] The challenge of collaborating when existing power differentials have yet to be addressed. [09:28] What is power? [12:04] Mayed shares thoughts on designing when you’re close to, or a part of, the community you’re designing for, versus being outside that community. [13:53] Dawan talks about how perfection is the enemy of change. [15:57] The fear and discomfort of taking responsibility for causing harm. [16:28] Good intentions do not absolve responsibility. [17:30] Building accountability into what you design. [19:19] Ethics in design and looking for the potential of harm while designing. [22:45] There is an assumption of neutrality and objectivity around design. [24:47] Designing to prevent harm, and also designing for joy and compassion and care. [29:45] Decolonizing design. [35:12] Grounding design in the context of the place and space where it will live. [38:47] Shifting the way we think about design, to move beyond the human. [40:44] Rethinking how we think about and experience systems. [45:13] Last thoughts from Mayed about doing the work and the responsibility that comes with that. LinksMayed on LinkedInMayed on MediumMayed’s websitepause + effect - 5-week intensive, Reimagining ResearchInterview: Fashion Designer Sahibzada MayedCultivating Design Ecologies of Care, Community, and CollaborationI Don’t Want A Seat at Your Table w/ sahibzada mayedDecentralizing Power through Design with Sahibzada Mayed and Lauren Lin Book Recommendations Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds, by Adrienne Maree Brown

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