The story behind the (Inclusive Future) bracelets

“To power an Inclusive Future for All”

Making an impact on the community has long been an important pillar and value of the Cisco Store. When Cisco unveiled its new company purpose, “To Power an Inclusive Future for All,” we at the store wanted to offer new product to align with this message.

Customers can now purchase an (Inclusive Future) bracelet as a physical representation of Cisco’s Inclusive Future mission, while also supporting a worthy cause. $1.00 of each bracelet sale will be donated to Cisco’s Fighting Racism and Discrimination fund. This fund was established to support organizations in the fight against racism and discrimination in their many, destructive forms and includes organizations such as the NAACP, the Human Rights Campaign foundation and the Equal Justice Initiative.

The (Inclusive Future) bracelet displays the message (One Cisco) and is part of the Inclusive future collection, an entire merchandise line inspired by Cisco's purpose. Browse the rest of the collection here.

Behind the bracelet

I had the chance to sit down with Chris Ross, an art director from the Hatch, Cisco’s internal creative agency and designer of the parentheses graphic. We discussed the inspiration and message behind the design for the new (Inclusive Future) bracelets.

As a designer, Chris and the team looked for an opportunity to find a bigger framework for the diversity and inclusion message that could be used as a way for people to visually show their support throughout Cisco. From a design standpoint, the original inspiration for the (Inclusive Future) bracelets was the yellow rubber “Livestrong” bracelets that were popular throughout the early 2000’s. The simplicity of the design ensured that nothing distracted from the main message behind the bracelet, which is to support a worthy cause.

Parentheses; more than punctuation

When speaking with Chris, we discussed how parentheses are used as a point of emphasis and focus in many different practices. In algebra, parentheses serve as an indication for that expression to be solved first. In coding, a practice that many Cisconians are familiar with, parentheses and brackets are used to hold expressions of value.

The parentheses are also a well-known symbol used for punctuation. Typically, in a sentence, the portion that is in parentheses is an afterthought, or an aside. In this instance for the bracelet design, Chris explained, when we strip away the rest of the sentence and are left with only what’s inside the parentheses, the meaning changes to one of emphasis and inclusion. EVERYTHING in the parentheses becomes important, and included in the message. With this particular design, the parentheses are a visual representation of inclusion. Everything between the () is grouped together, as one. (One Cisco) represents a message of inclusion within the company as a whole. One Cisco, together.

Together we can make a difference

When discussing Cisco’s Inclusive Future mission, Chuck himself stated that “We are at a critical moment in history and so much is within our ability to shape it.”  We hope that these bracelets will be used as a way to rally behind Cisco’s important message of inclusion, while also donating to a worthy cause. Shop for your bracelet today!

Keep up with the Cisco Store on Instagram and Twitter! Visit the Cisco Store website for 24/7 Cisco merchandise shopping, and don’t forget to log in if you are a Cisco employee to receive your discount! Want to learn more about the Cisco Store? Check out our case study here .