Design is Circular
Industrial Harm Reduction*
Industrial harm reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with contemporary production methods.
Latest
Dignify through Design
Queering Del Toro’s Creature Features
Let this movie, or any of [Del Toro’s] other films, remind you of the comfort that comes with self-acceptance and living your truth regardless of societal norms. Let them remind you of how powerful we become when we challenge society’s norms.
Àrokò Monthly
Comrades, dear friends, co-conspirators, As 2025 draws to a close, we find ourselves in that familiar in-between space, the festive glow of gatherings alongside the weight of everything this year has revealed. At Àrokò, we end the year energized by the prospect of continuing our work. We are
Community
Àrokò Monthly Roundtable #01
This roundtable discussion names a growing unease with societies that reward visibility over substance.
Dignify through Design
Creative Growth in a Cooperative Ecosystem: A Conversation with the Àrokò Design Department
"Because we're a community that's figuring out how to do business together, most of what we do together is play."
Community
Two Years of Clay, Community, and Creating Home
At the beginning of October, the two–year anniversary of the first Black Clay Workshop quietly passed. This coming January will also mark two years since I settled in Oakland—and honestly, it has all felt like a whirlwind. I’ve met so many people, built so many connections, and
Darfur: A Wound Still Open
04 VERSES IN THE WAKE Darfur opens— a wound the sun keeps trying to close. A girl stands in the heat, holding her silence like a bird too frightened to lift its wings. The air breaks against the girl’s face. Someone’s scream from the night before still clings
Dignify through Design
Pumpkin Angels & Habesha Magic: Stitching Spells and Sewing Culture
Ethiopian-American designers reclaim Halloween as a time of joy, blending culture with creative freedom!
Dignify through Design
Ninja Turtle Dreams
Mama zipped me in a Ninja Turtle shell—Michelangelo, the laughing one, 'cause I giggled through gunfire and dreamed in technicolor even when sirens split the night like wishbones. Sweat glued the mask to my face, plastic breath, cinnamon gum, and that hum of danger, a tuning fork struck
Dignify through Design
Messy by Design: How Eve’s Bayou Made Chaos an Art Form
Someone will ask you one day if you've seen Eve's Bayou. You need to be able to say yes.
Updates
We Build Culture
How Àrokò Cooperative designs radical solutions for individuals and organizations.
Play Is Medicine: Designing Care Through Super Mario 64
Forget brain-training apps. In the ‘90s we already had one: Super Mario 64. Turns out Peach’s castle was a cognitive gym all along.