Designing for Inclusion
The Aga Khan Foundation Portugal, in partnership with the Estonian Human Rights Center, Equality Strategies Ireland, and organizations across seven European countries, launched Diversity@Work, a pilot project designed to promote diversity, non-discrimination, and equal opportunities in the workplace across Europe. Itsanashow Studio was commissioned to develop the entire illustration universe for their Blended Learning Initiative, an online course for employers built around inclusive practices and the EU Diversity Charter.
THE CHALLENGE
The project required a visual world capable of representing the full spectrum of human diversity, across cultures, ages, abilities, genders, and family structures, in a way that felt genuine, relatable, and free of stereotypes. Every character, scenario, and object needed to serve the course's educational goals while remaining visually engaging across a digital learning platform.
THE SOLUTION
Itsanashow Studio conceptualized and developed a complete illustration system from scratch. The project involved the creation of 65 distinct characters, each designed to reflect real human plurality, 15 carefully crafted workplace and everyday scenarios, and over 100 props and objects to individualize each character's identity and context.
The visual language was built to feel warm, inclusive, and immediately accessible, striking a balance between diversity of representation and visual coherence across the entire system. Every design decision was guided by the project's core mission: to make inclusion visible, tangible, and easy to relate to.
