Background
The Sustain Africa event is a one-day unconference held at the OSCA Festival, a huge open source conference hosted by the Open Source Community Africa (OSCA). It brings together builders and users of open source projects to discuss key aspects of OSS, including design, governance, web development, and maintainer burnout. As a designer, I found the conversations on sustaining OSS design really valuable.
Some open source organizations like CHOASS, Gnome, and Nextcloud have tried to prioritize design and have made efforts to push design contributions and make designers visible, yet compared to other aspects of open source contributions, design remains hidden in the ecosystem. We discussed how this is evident in the allocation of grants, where a smaller number is given for the maintenance of design or dedicated-design programs. This year’s discussions explored in greater depth how we can sustain OSS design as contributors, how African designers can leverage contributions as a pathway for growth, and how projects can articulate their design needs and document processes in a way that promotes the development of the community and projects. Listening to participants, I reflected on the challenges of trust, sustainability, and visibility for design contributors, issues that resonate globally.
What do people think OSS design is?
One key question was: What do we think OSS design is?
The answers varied: some saw it as designing assets, such as icons, buttons, and layouts, while others defined it as applying open and collaborative OSS principles to design. More experienced contributors expanded it to include shaping user experiences beyond interfaces, that is, onboarding, documentation structures, and even how a community is governed.
If design is viewed solely as UI, contributors with research or strategy skills may be overlooked. A broader framing positions design as a bridge between users, maintainers, and developers. It also highlights unique challenges in a design context—the complexity of tools, differences in technical skill, and language barriers. We define OSS design in this way to ensure we are part of the global conversation and can shape how design is practiced worldwide.
Sustaining OSS design
Sustainability requires more than one-off design contributions. Design work must be thoroughly documented and treated as integral to projects.
- Education is foundational. Many Africans are introduced to OSS through talks and articles, but a deeper understanding of the space requires in-depth education. Although GitHub and Linux provide resources, design education often falls short because programs tend to prioritize technical skills over design principles.
- Sustaining OSS design also means recognizing that research, prototyping, and usability testing need resources. Without funding, contributors burn out. Financial support not only helps designers but also strengthens overall project development.
- Documentation is another challenge. README files rarely include design information, as many technical writers, though talented, may not be able to fully document a design process, except they are designers themselves or have a design background. Assigning designers to collaborate, set up, and maintain these assets ensures clarity and consistency. Find a designer who can document design or train a designer to document design.
- Integration matters too. Too often, design conversations are scattered across external tools or private chats. When design discussions are integrated into platforms like GitHub Discussions, GitLab issues, and mailing lists, contributors can trace the history and access conversations. While some projects hesitate to add this layer, fearing disruption, it is key for continuity.
- Finally, mentorship is lacking. Developers often have maintainers or senior guides, while designers lack role models in OSS. Without senior contributors to mentor, knowledge sharing and sustainability suffer. Building mentorship is essential for long-term design growth.
The OSS playbook: community vs. core trust
Another theme discussed was the need for a playbook or widely accepted documentation from the OSS design community. Such a resource could help projects define design direction and avoid treating design as an outsourced, one-off effort.
This raised questions of trust. Are design contributors seen as collaborators or just surface fixers? If communities limit design to polishing interfaces, we are reproducing closed practices within spaces that claim openness. Including design voices early reshapes trust dynamics and ensures access and influence.
Pathways for contributors to grow in design
A major frustration is the lack of visible pathways for designers in OSS. Developers often move from beginner issues to maintainer roles, but designers rarely see progression or leadership opportunities.
Participants explored what growth pathways could look like. Visibility was a recurring theme: contributors need platforms to showcase their work through blogs, portfolios, or community highlights. Recognition motivates designers and helps them translate contributions into career opportunities. Without visibility and pathways, talented designers remain on the sidelines, unable to shape the ecosystems they support.
Improving design contributions in open source
We discussed practical ways to improve design contributions:
- Automation reduces repetitive tasks and lowers the risk for newcomers.
- Templates provide structure for design changes and ensure uniformity in contributions.
- Clear documentation helps new contributors understand standards and processes, making design more transparent.
These processes make design contributions less intimidating and more impactful.
Keeping the conversation alive
At the end of the session, I felt a renewed commitment to the OSS design community in Africa. We have a unique opportunity to shape the future of OSS design by investing in education, funding, mentorship, and documentation. Sustaining design isn’t only about technical fixes—it’s a cultural shift toward openness, recognition, and collaboration.
The OSCA Festival may have ended, but the conversations must continue. As OSS advocates, we have both the responsibility and the opportunity to influence the next chapter of open source design globally.