Decolonial Design in Practice: Designing Meaningful and Transformative Science Communications for Navakavu, Fiji

Design practice, at its contemporary state, contributes to replicating a homogenizing ontology that subjugates aesthetic, functional, and cultural values of non-Western design. In so doing, it becomes an instrument of colonialism and reaffirmation of a Western-centric view of the world. Decolonial Design arises as a reaction to this, proposing the integration of decolonial thought into design theory and philosophy. This study proposes a collaborative approach to design that brings the philosophy of Decolonial Design into practice, positioning design as a vehicle for rethinking problems through creative processes and initiatives, and as a transformative tool through which design can decolonize itself (and designers) while in action. This approach is demonstrated through a case study in the Yavusa Navakavu, Rewa Province, Viti Levu, Fiji, where researchers, designers, and the local community co-designed initiatives to promote the environmental conservation of their protected marine area.