Inneract Project is a 501c3 non-profit organization working over 18+ years to empower the next generation of Black, Latinx and underrepresented designers of color.

The Vision

Our vision is to build a global design education platform for underrepresented designers of color, centered-around:

Digital content & online learning

In-Person courses and events

Equity-minded partnerships

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What We Do

We care about uplifting the voices of designers of color and introducing them to the many pathways of design.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW:

Demographic focus:
Historically marginalized communities of color

Who we work with:
Middle + High School (classes)
College + Early Career (network)

Disciplinary focus:
Graphic Design (Branding, etc)
Product design (UX, UI, Research)

Programs model:
Skills + Awareness + Mentoring = Design Awareness

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Who We Are

Maurice Woods
Founder & Executive Director

Maurice Woods is the Executive Director and Founder of the Inneract Project. Born and raised in Richmond, CA, Maurice began his career as basketball player, playing professionally worldwide for 7 years to graduating from the University of Washington with a BFA and MFA in Visual Communication Design.

He created Inneract Project to bring design and youth from underserved communities together and ensure that people of color are supported and represented in design fields. What began in 2004 as a grassroots effort to teach design has become an organization, unwavering in its mission.

Since then, Maurice has served as Co-Chair of Education for the AIGA San Francisco and nationally as a Board of Advisor for the Diversity Archive Collection Exhibition, receiving the AIGA San Francisco Fellow Award in 2016 and the Jefferson Award. Professionally, Maurice has worked as a designer at the world’s largest independent design consultancy, Pentagram Design. He designed extensive identity, retail, exhibit and interactive programs for clients such as Nike, Greyhound, Symantec, Priceline.com, and Google.

In addition, Maurice currently works full-time as a Principal designer at Microsoft.