Unconscious Bias

Campaign designed to raise awareness of our unconscious bias

campaign, posters & sticker design →

‘We are a lot more alike than you think’ is a campaign I designed to raise awareness of our unconscious bias and how it could be seriously effecting us, the people around us and our judgments in everyday life. People too easily make judgments unconsciously about others they do not know, which can be based on factors such as appearance, ethnicity, culture and religion. Sometimes judgments are necessary but sometimes they can cross the line.

Unconscious bias happens when our brains make incredibly quick judgments and assessments of people and situations without us realising. Our biases are influenced by our background, cultural environment and personal experiences. We may not even be aware of these views and opinions, or be aware of their full impact and implications.

Research conducted in 2019 revealed the extent to which we are unconsciously biased: 67% of the British public admits to feeling uncomfortable talking to a disabled person; gay and lesbian job seekers are 5% less likely to get an interview; and 80% of employers admit to making decisions based on regional accents.

I interviewed 12 people to talk to them about their unconscious bias. My interviewees were all different ages, a mixture of female and male and included different cultures, ethnicities, religions and life experiences. Majority of my interviews said unconscious bias was something they would like to think about more and all admitted that they were a victim of unconscious bias. One of my interviewees said,

‘I don’t like to think of myself being bias and creating snap judgements but I fear it is something we all do. We all naturally do it and these judgements are formed from our life experiences we have developed through growing up.’

Everyone agreed we should have ‘acceptance of one another’ and ‘we should respect each others cultures, similarities and differences’. 

After my interview I took photos of the interviewees focusing on their faces and eyes to help form the visuals for my unconscious bias campaign. Using the visuals of faces along with bold impact statements would be powerful and effective in getting the message across of my unconscious bias campaign: that we should try and rethink our unconscious bias and be more open minded.

I created risograph posters and placed them in different locations in the centre of Bristol, Stokes croft, Clifton and the harbour side. I posted some of the folded posters in residential streets in Bristol to get the message out to the residents of Bristol directly that they need to think consciously and be aware of their unconscious bias.