Jahnavi Inniss is an award-winning graphic designer and craft educator whose work focusses on telling untold stories in Black British history. She studied BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design at Central Saint Martins (CSM), graduating in 2020.

In her final project Black British History Quilt she uses the culturally rich technique of quilting to highlight the stories of Black people in Britain between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. Now measuring over 11 meters, and featuring 18 people, she continues to add to the quilt and the accompanying online directory, which includes the stories of the people named. The quilt is currently on display at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, as part of their exhibition Rise Up: Resistance, Revolution, Abolition.

She spoke to us about her initial interest in graphic design, how the Black British History Quilt project has evolved and her advice to anyone who is about to graduate.

I really enjoyed interpreting and responding to the design briefs on the course. My tutors really encouraged us to challenge ourselves and experiment with as many ideas as possible in response to the brief. Learning the fundamentals of typography, composition, colour and hierarchy in playful ways made the subject of graphic design feel a lot more digestible.

I also loved having the freedom to experiment with different making processes whilst responding to the briefs. Having access to the letterpress, screen printing and ceramics studios really broadened my knowledge of various materials and the effect that they have on the message being communicated.

Growing up, my dad took me and my brother to the London Anarchist Bookfair every year. I remember being drawn to the banners, posters, badges and other ephemera that was on display on the different stalls. I’d say the bookfair was my first introduction into understanding graphic design beyond the usual, branding, advertising and logo design. Looking through the array of visual material on offer I began to discover how graphic design has long-been a powerful tool in promoting social justice. Absorbing the visual language of trade union banners, typographic letterpress posters and screen printed zines, I discovered how bold and direct communication can be achieved through meaningful and well-informed design decisions. Reflecting on the rich history of these various design processes and mediums, I considered graphic design as a perfect discipline to combine my voice and creativity to promote social justice.

I remember going to the Bookfair in 2015 when it was held at CSM. I was studying for my A Levels back then and had recurring thoughts about studying a degree in graphic design at an arts university. Returning to CSM to study - discovering my voice and aspirations through graphic design really feels like a full-circle moment.

During my studies I was occasionally volunteering at the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton. Whilst engaging with the library materials, I noticed frequent silent gaps in the timeline of the Black presence in Britain and wanted to find a way to fill these gaps and better represent Black British history. I came across Black Victorians, Black Victoriana, a book which gives recognition to the Black experience in Britain during the Victorian period. This inspired me to investigate and surface the lives of Black people in Britain between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. In doing so, I wanted to highlight the historic presence of Black people in Britain as well as dismantle the common misconception that Black people had only arrived in Britain during the late 1940s wave of immigration known as the ‘Windrush Period’.

Using cultural theorist Stuart Hall’s Representation Theory, I began exploring different methods to create visibility for Black British History. I experimented with a variety of different mediums including sculpture, grassroots publishing, murals and bank notes. I reflected on the ways in which historical events and people are memorialised, and how counter-narratives are produced and disseminated. This exploration led me to the vibrant and dynamic world of quilting. I learned how quilting became a means of creative expression, communication, survival and liberation for enslaved African women in the deep American South. I looked at modern approaches to quilting through artists and organisations such as Faith Ringgold and the Social Justice Sewing Academy and was encouraged by their bold adaptation of quilting to provide visibility and empowerment for Black people.

Reflecting on this history, I knew that quilting was the perfect medium to channel my aspirations of creating visibility for Black history. I was able to embed meaning into my quilt through my use of typography and textile patterns which further affirmed the humanity of the people featured and the time in which they lived.

I really wanted to create an open resource where people could learn about the people featured on my quilt so creating an online directory website seemed to make the most sense. Combining the two elements was another way for me to make this history more accessible. I wanted to encourage the public to submit the names of any missing people that they feel should be featured on the quilt, generating a constant knowledge exchange.

The quilt is currently on display at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, in their exhibition Rise Up: Resistance, Revolution, Abolition. Has the project evolved since you started it?

Since starting the quilt, I’ve added a total of 18 new people – taking the current measurement up to just over 11 metres long. On the back of this project, I facilitate artistic workshops which encourage participants to celebrate, reframe and document their personal and collective histories. I aim to engage participants with the power of creative expression as a form of self-expression and empowerment.

Do you have plans to keep growing the quilt and the directory?

Absolutely! I consider my quilt a ‘living object’ – I kept all the edges of the quilt raw to reflect the incompleteness of this history. This also allows me to continue to add more people as I discover them. I currently have the names of 6 new people on my list to include when the quilt comes off display later this year.

I’ve been working at the National Portrait Gallery for around two and a half years. My role has changed since I first started in 2022 as the Gallery was closed for its major re-decoration project. Back then my work was mainly focused on the rollout of the new brand as well as art working the interpretation for the whole of the Gallery’s main collection.

Since reopening I’ve been working alongside curators designing the temporary exhibitions including The Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize, 2022, Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award, 2023, The Time Is Always Now, 2023, Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens, 2024, and The Face Magazine: Culture Shift, 2025. I also design the various assets for the marketing campaigns of these exhibitions. These include London Underground posters, billboards and banners.

Outside of busy exhibition periods I mainly work on designing assets for the day-to-day operations of the Gallery - leaflets, brochures, wayfinding signage and the labels for new artworks going on display.

Firstly, I’d say take a break! I think there’s a lot of pressure on recent grads to find summer internships and full-time work. I think it’s important to remember that completing a degree is a massive achievement and I think it merits some well-deserved time off. Take a break,  enjoy your summer! Once you have the responsibility of full-time work you realise how quickly time flies by and how little rest you get - enjoy the time off whilst you can (if your circumstances permit).

Also, if you’re stuck as to where you want to take yourself within your field of study, think back to what drew your interest the most during your course and what themes you repeatedly found yourself going back to. I believe this is one of the places where our passions lie. Feed into them and see where they take you.

• Find out more about Jahnavi Inniss's work
• Follow Jahnavi on Instagram @jahnavinniss
• Find out more about studying at CSM
• Find out more about studying Graphic Communication Design at CSM