Today we’d like to introduce you to Keren Dillard-Taylor.
Hi Keren, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a designer and writer working in the southern New York and northern New Jersey metropolitan areas. I have been working in design journalism for 7 years, beginning as a freelance writer and later becoming a regular contributor to publications such as The Architects Newspaper, Azure, Dwell, and Dezeen. Aside from my pathway in journalism, I have always had an interest in design, and therefore perused both a Bachelors and Masters degree in architecture from Barnard College (’19) and Princeton University (’24).
It is no secret that architectural and design spaces are oftentimes are extremely White and Eurocentric, and as a Black American designer, I found a lack of desire in dissecting non-white methods of design or even to understand non-white perspectives on design practice. In the architectural and design journalism communities, widely published Black perspectives on design are hard to come by, and if anything, are now just emerging into the public design sphere.
In my education I read fewer than what is countable on one hand of texts written by Black designers and/or writers and studied about the same amount of projects spearheaded by Black designers and architects. Thus, I made it a personal goal of mine to bring Black perspectives on design to the forefront of the design communities attention.
In January of 2025 I started an independently run and operated monthly newsletter titled “BAD.d” – The Black Architecture and Design Digest. Today, BAD.d has been running strong for almost two years and has over 100 subscribers.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Starting and running an independent publication is not an easy feat. Although BAD.d is a passion project, it did take a lot of work to even get started. The BAD.d website was completely curated and designed by myself, along with all of the visual content that accompanies each monthly newsletter. So, aside from the writing, there is a lot of time and effort that goes into publishing each letter.
Additionally, all of our readership is organically grown, which, I believe, is the hardest part. You can have all of the wonderfully written content and beautiful imagery that you want, but if no one sees it, then how much of an impact are you really making?
Our subscribers are extremely important to me, because out of all of the content that passes your timeline or enters your inbox every day, you chose to read BAD.d. It makes all of the hard work worth it.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
BAD.d – The Black Architecture & Design Digest – is a monthly newsletter publication rooted in the Black Feminist Literary Tradition with the main goal of bringing Black architecture and design history, experiences, and perspectives to the forefront of the design community’s attention.
Black architects and designers are often under recognized, under employed, and under appreciated in our contributions to design innovations that shape our physical and digital worlds. Little has been done to incorporate Black design history into the architecture and design canon, and little is known of the archival work of Black designers and architects worldwide. It’s time that Black voices be added into the narrative of design, and if not added, then it’s time to write it ourselves!
BAD.d is devoted to; discussing the experiences of Black Designers globally – especially Black Women and feminists, intersectionality as a methodology of design practice, voicing the marginalized in regard to race, class, and gender, activism as defined by the origins of The Black Radical Tradition, and the promotion of design with SOUL that is “SUPER-BAD”!
**Note: BAD.d is pronounced “bad” (the last “d” is silent)**
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
For those just starting out, I would advise not be discouraged. That is easier said than done, but there are so many discouraging words to be given by others, try your hardest not to discourage yourself. You have to be your biggest cheerleader, otherwise it will be very easy to get lost in the sauce.
Hold yourself accountable, recognize your limits and work around them, but whatever you do don’t stop working. Carry the vision and see it through.
As for what I wish that I knew; I wish that I knew that a slow burn is not a bad thing. The best things take time to age, mature, and process, so as eager as I am to see the fulfillment of a vision that I have in my head, it’s going to take some time to get to the final product. And that is okay. There is so much learning to be done along the way!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.baddigest.org
- Instagram: @bad.digest
