The “Driving While Black” campaign introduced the first-ever vehicle in which the safety feature is the car itself. It utilized cutting-edge AR technology to immerse viewers in the realities of racial profiling during traffic stops. The UX design guided viewers through a variety of features and scenarios, effectively portraying the tensions Black people face behind the wheel. Through CGI, we displayed the realities of racism, and each modification to the vehicle highlighted the absurdity of the lengths Black people have to go to on a daily basis.

In America, people largely acknowledge that racism exists, but they can’t always recognize it in their own lives and communities. That’s why we built DWB. To highlight those double standards that Black people experience during the most common interaction that they have with police: traffic stops. Because Black people have to expect anything from microaggressions to murder, routine traffic stops are anything but routine.

In America driving while Black is dangerous. In fact, Black drivers are 20% more likely to be stopped and searched by police than White people are and are three times more likely to be killed by officers during encounters than White people are. This campaign introduced the first-ever vehicle in which the safety feature is the car itself. Many Americans believe that racism is bad but perceive it as less prevalent in today’s society because they aren’t faced with it day-to-day. These double standards deflect self-awareness and accountability from those who don’t experience it. With “Driving While Black,” we aimed to demonstrate that racism continues to be an everyday reality for Black Americans by visualizing the absurdity of these double standards. To do this, we designed a car to immerse individuals in the experiences of Black drivers.

The “Driving While Black campaign” introduced the first-ever vehicle in which the safety feature is the car itself. We aimed to demonstrate that racism continues to be an everyday reality for Black Americans by visualizing the absurdity of the double standards they face. To do this, we designed a car to immerse individuals in the experiences of Black drivers. Many Americans believe that racism is bad but perceive it as less prevalent in today’s society because they aren’t faced with it day-to-day, so we wanted them to be our target audience. The work made a positive change by sparking conversations, articulating a perpetual problem, and creating a space for people to learn / teach others about racial bias in the American justice system.

We designed a car that provided a different approach to the incessant problem of racism against Black people behind the wheel. Every feature served a purpose in safeguarding Black lives. The 10-and-2 steering wheel was designed to keep drivers’ hands visible at all times; the glove box was removed to eliminate any assumptions about what the driver is reaching for; transparent doors allow all movement inside the vehicle to be seen; and so on.

Our car was inspired by the infamous case of Philando Castile, who was killed in his 1997 Oldsmobile. We chose a sleek and futuristic feel for the car and logo design to blend in with the cars of the modern car industry. We worked with car designers, graphic designers, mechanics and engineers to help bring the car design to life digitally. This transformed the car into a next-level immersive AR experience.