Àrokò Cooperative

Àrokò Monthly Roundtable #02 In 2026, we're watching the breaking point accelerate, a cultural rupture where authenticity confronts algorithmic perfection, and designers must decide whether to decorate capital or design for human...

There’s a growing hunger for work that feels unmistakably human. Our roundtable gives you a temperature check on culture, craft, AI fatigue, and design trends. Read the full discussion here: www.aroko.world/aroko-monthl...

Àrokò Monthly Roundtable #02 In 2026, we're watching the breaking point accelerate, a cultural rupture where authenticity confronts algorithmic perfection, and designers must decide whether to decorate capital or design for human...

There’s a growing hunger for work that feels unmistakably human. Our roundtable gives you a temperature check on culture, craft, AI fatigue, and design trends. Read the full discussion here: www.aroko.world/aroko-monthl...

ENDAY IT’S GALENTINE’S I can’t believe I almost didn’t celebrate Galentine’s Day this year. Almost skipping an excuse to hang out with our loved ones, create cute crafts, and eat delicious baked goodies, what were we thinki...

✨ Read @meroncreates.bsky.social & Mahlet's latest piece & feel the love Galentine's Day 💜🍪 Then tell us: what would you write in your card? 💌
www.aroko.world/enday-its-ga...

Absolute heater of design criticism from Van. If you want to read more like, this subscribe to AROKO.WORLD (it's fuckin' free baby!)

Industrial Harm Reduction* Industrial harm reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with contemporary production methods.

Check out the latest piece by @mclc.bsky.social on industrial harm reduction, design that puts people, planet, and purpose before profit.

www.aroko.world/industrial-h...

Ancestry Is a Design System Ancestry is often seen as the past, but in design it’s a living system. Every form carries memory. To create what lasts, we don’t invent from nothing. We translate what came before into what comes nex...

Check out this new piece by Azeez on ancestry as a living design system, and why creating what lasts means translating what came before into what comes next.

www.aroko.world/ancestry-is-...

Day & Night: The Emerging Aesthetics of New Wave Neo-Ludditism I followed a DJ to a phone-free, clown-themed dance floor and stumbled into a living experiment in neo-Ludditism. From luxury dumbphones to sweaty nights off-camera, two aesthetics of opting out are e...

What does it actually feel like to opt out of Big Tech? Van finds answers in both minimalist devices and phone-free nightlife. Read the article:

www.aroko.world/day-night-th...

Day & Night: The Emerging Aesthetics of New Wave Neo-Ludditism I followed a DJ to a phone-free, clown-themed dance floor and stumbled into a living experiment in neo-Ludditism. From luxury dumbphones to sweaty nights off-camera, two aesthetics of opting out are e...

What does it actually feel like to opt out of Big Tech? Van finds answers in both minimalist devices and phone-free nightlife. Read the article:

www.aroko.world/day-night-th...

Ancestry Is a Design System Ancestry is often seen as the past, but in design it’s a living system. Every form carries memory. To create what lasts, we don’t invent from nothing. We translate what came before into what comes nex...

Check out this new piece by Azeez on ancestry as a living design system, and why creating what lasts means translating what came before into what comes next.

www.aroko.world/ancestry-is-...

Industrial Harm Reduction* Industrial harm reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with contemporary production methods.

Check out the latest piece by @mclc.bsky.social on industrial harm reduction, design that puts people, planet, and purpose before profit.

www.aroko.world/industrial-h...

A graphic with crème lettering that reads “we build culture” on a black background

Happy New Year to old and new friends and conspirators of the cause. Take a peek 👀 of who we are, what we do, and a taste of what’s to come. www.aroko.coop
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We’re taking clients now for 2026+ so if you ever wanted connect, collab, work with us, reach out contact@aroko.coop 🙏🏽

Queering Del Toro’s Creature Features Let this movie, or any of [Del Toro’s] other films, remind you of the comfort that comes with self-acceptance and living your truth regardless of societal norms. Let them remind you of how powerful we...

Read the latest piece by @nellynkettles.bsky.social exploring queerness as it relates to Frankenstein (2025), monsters, and our access to comfort:
www.aroko.world/queering-del...

If you’ve been contemplating writing a story for our Anthology Call, you only have 3 days left to submit! A perfect way to close out your year is with Aroko. Happy Writing🖤.

www.aroko.world/aroko-anthol...

📍Deadline Wednesday, December 31, 2025
📨: Submit to contact@aroko.coop

Àrokò Monthly Roundtable #01 This roundtable discussion names a growing unease with societies that reward visibility over substance.

We kicked off our first monthly roundtable with our hot take on design, talking about the chasm between craft and performance. Tap in to read the full conversation here: www.aroko.world/monthly-roun...

Take a behind-the-scenes look at our design process and the lessons that shaped how we work today. Read our member interview with @mclc.bsky.social and @nellynkettles.bsky.social, introducing you to our Design department.

www.aroko.world/creative-gro...

Two Years of Clay, Community, and Creating Home At the beginning of October, the two–year anniversary of the first Black Clay Workshop quietly passed. This coming January will also mark two years since I settled in Oakland—and honestly, it has all ...

Along with making art and designing for clients with @aroko.bsky.social, a huge part of my practice is teaching as a means to serve community. I reflected on my two years building a community and home in Oakland. www.aroko.world/two-years-of...

Two Years of Clay, Community, and Creating Home At the beginning of October, the two–year anniversary of the first Black Clay Workshop quietly passed. This coming January will also mark two years since I settled in Oakland—and honestly, it has all ...

Read @kristenstain.bsky.social's first piece for us on their journey building a ceramics class for and by Black folks.

Join The Folklore Story Lab Part 2: (r)EVOLUTION (Diaspora & Lineage) with @aishatuado.bsky.social
— an online writing session exploring African and diasporic folklore.
📅 Nov 22, 10 AM EST / 9 AM CST
🔗 Register (Free): bit.ly/wwfotg

Join The Folklore Story Lab: ROOTS (Africa) with @aishatuado.bsky.social — a generative writing session exploring African and diasporic folklore.
📅 Nov 15, 10 AM EST / 9 AM CST
🔗 Register (Free): us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Pumpkin Angels & Habesha Magic: Stitching Spells and Sewing Culture Ethiopian-American designers reclaim Halloween as a time of joy, blending culture with creative freedom!

Celebrating joy, creativity and cultural magic as sisters Mahie & Meron weave Ethiopian heritage into Halloween spellcraft— the creative forces behind Enday, a vibrant fashion brand. #HabeshaMagic

www.aroko.world/habesha-magic/

Ninja Turtle Dreams Mama zipped me in a Ninja Turtle shell—Michelangelo, the laughing one, 'cause I giggled through gunfire and dreamed in technicolor even when sirens split the night like wishbones. Sweat glued the mas...

Halloween nostalgia with a twist, read @aishatuado.bsky.social's flash fiction now live at ÀROKÒ.WORLD
www.aroko.world/ninja-turtle...

Ninja Turtle Dreams Mama zipped me in a Ninja Turtle shell—Michelangelo, the laughing one, 'cause I giggled through gunfire and dreamed in technicolor even when sirens split the night like wishbones. Sweat glued the mas...

Halloween nostalgia with a twist, read @aishatuado.bsky.social's flash fiction now live at ÀROKÒ.WORLD
www.aroko.world/ninja-turtle...

No Rap Songs Are in the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 40 for the First Time Since 1990 No rap songs have ranked in the top 40 on the last two Billboard Hot 100 charts, following Kendrick Lamar and SZA's "Luther" dropping off the chart.

very fascinating. i wonder where we go next? does it matter if hip hop isnt on the billboard charts like that?

Messy by Design: How Eve’s Bayou Made Chaos an Art Form Someone will ask you one day if you've seen Eve's Bayou. You need to be able say yes. Because Kasi Lemmons crafted cinema history as one of the first Black women to direct a feature that centers Black...

Love cinema that haunts and expands what Black stories can be? Read @aishatuado.bsky.social's latest piece on Eve’s Bayou.
www.aroko.world/messy-by-des...

Messy by Design: How Eve’s Bayou Made Chaos an Art Form Someone will ask you one day if you've seen Eve's Bayou. You need to be able say yes. Because Kasi Lemmons crafted cinema history as one of the first Black women to direct a feature that centers Black...

Love cinema that haunts and expands what Black stories can be? Read @aishatuado.bsky.social's latest piece on Eve’s Bayou.
www.aroko.world/messy-by-des...

We Build Culture How Àrokò Cooperative designs radical solutions for individuals and organizations.

We built intentional culture that has lasting impact. Read our new article on how we work and the work we’ve done.

www.aroko.world/we-build-cul...

We Build Culture How Àrokò Cooperative designs radical solutions for individuals and organizations.

We built intentional culture that has lasting impact. Read our new article on how we work and the work we’ve done.

www.aroko.world/we-build-cul...

Play Is Medicine: Designing Care Through Super Mario 64 Forget brain-training apps. In the ‘90s we already had one: Super Mario 64. Turns out Peach’s castle was a cognitive gym all along.

Article is here: www.aroko.world/play-is-medi...

What Games Were Your Medicine Growing Up

An ode to @aishatuado.bsky.social new article “Play is Medicine” what was games kept you up late at night? Drop them in the comments🎮

Play Is Medicine: Designing Care Through Super Mario 64 Forget brain-training apps. In the ‘90s we already had one: Super Mario 64. Turns out Peach’s castle was a cognitive gym all along.

“We weren’t just playing; we were learning…how to laugh at failure and try again. What I didn’t know then is what researchers would confirm years later: those play sessions were not just fun. They were literally reshaping our brains” —

Read the full article here.

www.aroko.world/play-is-medi...