This is both funny and sad. Funny because of the ridiculous lengths so many organizations go to to show “diversity.” Sad because of the reason why they must use photoshop.
It’s troubled me greatly when organizations I’ve worked with adopt this photoshop stratagem for their online and print publishing. It’s a foolhardy ploy to paint in a Potemkin veneer of diversity (in addition to all the other airbrushed, prettified tinkerings accomplished via skilled image editing). Worse, instead of framing a member or student (as was in the case of the linked article) photo in a different setting, often iStockphoto images are plastered in, as fictional character profiles to serve deceptively as cover centerpieces.
Some designers, in response to this ethically questionable behavior, resort to using silhouettes or heaven forbid, actual handcrafted artwork instead. Which I believe is far more preferable to the phony plastic photos that are utterly disingenous and revolting.
