Cross-Cultural Design, A Book Apart

foreword by Catt Small

Explore how to create culturally relevant and responsible experiences that reach a truly global audience.

Get this book

Please reach out to this book’s author to inquire about availability.

A Book Apart no longer sells or distributes books.

The modern web is inherently global—and if we want to design successfully for it, we must be ready to meet the needs, perspectives, and expectations of multifaceted, multicultural audiences.

With utmost timeliness, Senongo Akpem shares a clear and accessible methodology for designing across cultures: from performing socially conscious research, to building culturally responsive experiences, to developing meaningful internationalization and localization approaches. Expand your craft, and your mindset—and start creating a richer experience for everyone on the web, regardless of location, language, or identity.

This book explores:

People and Culture
Principles of Cross-Cultural Design
Cross-Cultural Practitioners
Cross-Cultural Research
Culturally Responsive Experiences
Internationalization and Localization

Quote 1
Quote 2
Quote 3

Cross-Cultural Design should be required reading for every modern web designer. Senongo Akpem has helped countless clients design across cultures, and now has distilled his research, data, and invaluable experiences into this book. It’s a much-needed guide for designing for the twenty-first century, built on a foundation of curiosity and respect.

Maurice Cherry

Creator of Revision Path

Previous Next

If you want to design for global audiences, read this book. Senongo Akpem shows us how Western assumptions bias our design choices—and what it looks like to center other cultures in our design processes instead.

Sara Wachter-Boettcher

Founder of Active Voice and author of Design for Real Life

Previous Next

This book is a gift. Senongo has written a clear, clever reminder that the web is truly worldwide—and that our designs should be, too. Packed with practical tips, research methods, and frameworks, this book will help ensure your designs are welcoming to all your users.

Ethan Marcotte

Author of Responsive Web Design

Previous Next

About the Author

Senongo Akpem is a designer, illustrator, and the founder of Pixel Fable, a collection of interactive Afrofuturist stories. For the past fifteen years, he has specialized in collaborating with clients across the world on flexible, impactful digital experiences. He is currently the VP of Creative at Nava. Previously, he was Design Director at Constructive, a social impact design agency, and an art director at Cambridge University Press, where he led a global design team.

The child of a Nigerian father and a Dutch-American mother, Senongo grew up in Nigeria, lived in Japan for almost a decade, and now calls New York City home. Living in constantly shifting cultural and physical spaces has given him unique insight into the influence of culture on communication and creativity. Senongo speaks at conferences around the world about cross-cultural design, digital storytelling, and transmedia. He loves any and all science fiction.