“I’ve always been working towards a world in which design for people, design for good, and inclusive design is just good design,” said Young, design researcher and acting chair of the MFA Interaction Design program at SVA. For decades thought leaders have been working to pinpoint the future of good design–and educators have been simply trying to keep up. Now they’re shaping the future themselves. This year, Young collaborated with Pinar Guvenc, partner at the award-winning global design firm SOUR, to construct the first year-long, graduate-level Inclusive Design course in the United States.

Designed to train the next generation of strategic, collaborative, thoughtful, and yes, inclusive designers, Inclusive Design I & II is SVA’s response to corporate reconstruction across industries. Since November 2023, interaction has seen mass layoffs from design leaders like IDEO and technology mega-companies including Google and Microsoft, citing “weak consumer demand.” 

There is demand, just not for their products. People with disabilities hold about $490b in purchasing power in the United States, while 68% of Gen Z prioritizes sustainable shopping. With these two groups holding consumer power, organizations have come to understand that corporate sustainability means social responsibility. Solutions are scarce, as design and tech hemorrhage capital in search of a new ‘new normal.’ 

With an undefined future, the leadership at MFA Interaction Design chose to focus on the only two constants in design — people and their problems. “Every designer is a social impact designer,” said Young. “Whether they like it or not, they’re having an impact on society and people.” 

Instilling inclusion, co-creation, and engagement into design processes may provide the necessary salve to these wounds, setting a strong foundation for our future. It’s the curb cut effect when a design created for a few changes the lives of many. Think of the touch screen on your trusty smartphone, rubber grips on vegetable peelers, or closed captioning; all universal products initially designed with the disabled community in mind. “If you’re not co-creating with people, what you’re putting out there is not going to stick or it’s not going to last, and therefore it’s not going to sustain,” said Guvenc.

Initially designed in two parts stretching over the second year of the MFA program, the course starts slow—painfully slow. Much of Inclusive Design I is spent slowing down, observing, deepening vocabulary, and unlearning traditional design processes. The MFA program defines inclusive design as designing with, not for, communities we aim to serve, recognizing that lived experiences are equally as important as professional expertise. The first few classes are simple yet complex, differentiating inclusive from accessible, universal, or equitable design and exploring what it means to actively invite participants into the process as co-designers. 

“Every designer is a social impact designer. Whether they like it or not, they’re having an impact on society and people. 

Adriana Valdez Young, design researcher and acting chair of SVA’s MFA Interaction Design program

From early January to May 2024, the second-year students in Inclusive Design II were given the mammoth task of redesigning their studio bathrooms. Though interaction design is often seen as a technological field, SVA broadens this definition to include the vast system of networks, services, narratives, products, and experiences shaping our daily lives. “Inclusion, where it differs from accessibility, is not necessarily concerned about the baseline axis,” said Guvenc. “It is concerned about the entire journey and the experience.” Because of this, the faculty chose to focus on a physical, universal human experience to frame the class project in the course’s pilot year.

Left: First-year students celebrate at the DesignIt headquarters with experience designer Brooke Viegut following an expedition throughout New York City; Right: Pinar Guvenc (left) moderates a talk with Jade McDonnough (center) and Marshall Sitten (right) about practicing inclusion as designers and creatives.

This initial class has proven to be a fruitful struggle. Designing for inclusion is a complex, intentional process, filled with co-creation, value-setting, shifting mindsets, community research, and detailed prototyping. As students began conducting anonymous surveys, Guvenc and Young found the emerging designers stuck in habitual thinking and linear processes; many of the students’ first drafts included problematic language and ableist assumptions. Several final prototypes raised an eyebrow, including one with signage depicting a male and female icon perpetuating the gender binary.

“These deeply ingrained mindsets and habits take time to break,” said Young. “For me, it’s about being patient; knowing that we have planted the seed and that seed might sprout later in their design careers.”

The students’ thinking evolved greatly, even if there wasn’t a sharp pivot in their work this year. “Inclusive design is a mindset I can keep with myself, in all types of design,” said Fan Fang, product designer and soon-to-be MFA Interaction Design graduate. “[The course] helped me learn how to decentralize my role as a designer.” Fan Fang’s thesis project focuses on democratizing gaming for those who are visually impaired, designing a tactile controller for blind people to play video games and access information traditionally only visually available. Other graduate projects this year range from apps embracing generative AI to nurture critical thinking for middle schoolers (ThinkKee by Amogh Gharpure), creating a better experience for people with mobility impairments to navigate ride-share platforms in New York City (Unit by Jennie Yang), to tools supporting young people in learning to care for their hands and prevent chronic injury from extensive technology use (Handy by Mihira Patel). 

Under Young’s leadership, the MFA Interaction Design program is turning the needle toward crafting more inclusive designers. Across courses, from entrepreneurial design to game design, students have been tasked with prioritizing ethics and inclusive values, asking them to go deeper into the same projects with these contexts in mind. This year the thesis project requirements have been redesigned to include community engagement, video stories, and a detailed body of work consisting of at least three different design prototypes addressing each student’s research, deepening their understanding of design and its impact. 

If you’re not co-creating with people, what you’re putting out there is not going to stick or it’s not going to last, and therefore it’s not going to sustain.

Pinar Guvenc, partner at SOUR

Looking to the future of the program, Young and Guvenc are hopeful. Inclusive design is still in its early stages as common practice, but its impact is clear. As Black Lives Matter invigorated new diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in leadership, and the deadline for the 2025 European Accessibility Act looms, companies have a need for lower and mid-level employees who bring a thoughtful lens to their work. “I feel like there was this portal that opened to making inclusive, accessible, and community-centered design this new norm,” said Young, “and we’re jumping through this portal to help future-proof our students.” Beyond future-proofing students, inclusive design just might be the key to future-proofing our world; we’ll just have to wait and see.

co-24: MFA Interaction Design Thesis Exhibition, a walk-through exhibition of works by 21 emergent designers exploring the themes of collaboration, connection, compassion, and construction towards a more intentionally inclusive future. May 16-17, 136 W. 21st St. RSVP here to attend.

Brooke Viegut is a narrative-driven experience designer, audience-centric theater maker, design critic, live entertainment researcher, donut connoisseur, cultural producer, collector of silly little things, and the creative lead at for.play. She is the author of Anonymous Intimacy (coming 2024) and holds an MA in Design Research, Writing, and Criticism from the School of Visual Arts.

Header: a snapshot of a tabletop at MFA Interaction Design filled with inclusive design tools and inspiration. Photo by Adriana Valdez Young.

Unlike traditional grant programs, Chicago’s Cultural Treasures goes beyond providing financial assistance. Instead, the initiative is rewriting the narrative of equity in the arts by offering tailored support and capacity-building to ensure the preservation and advancement of BIPOC-led initiatives for generations to come.

Administered by IFF with the Chicago funders group, the effort serves BIPOC arts and culture institutions that have long operated as neighborhood anchors, tradition-keepers, and community-builders to help ensure that experiences are broadly shared and heard. IFF champions nonprofits across the Midwest to shape more equitable and vibrant communities through community-centered lending, development, and real estate solutions.

Tara Townsend, President of IFF’s Social Impact Accelerator, shared the importance of how uplifting and investing in BIPOC-led initiatives not only honors the richness of Black history but also actively contributes to a more inclusive and equitable future. 

(This conversation was edited for length and clarity).

How do you ensure that initiatives such as funding, capacity-building, and technical assistance meet the needs of arts organizations and contribute to their long-term sustainability?

When the funding collaborative reached out to IFF – knowing they needed a community partner with relevant expertise and credibility in BIPOC communities – we, in turn, knew that the initiative could only be successful if it were deeply embedded within the community it serves.

IFF accepted the role because we saw it as an opportunity to support the long-term financial resilience and sustainability of BIPOC arts organizations. As administrators, we designed the grant program, developed an open nomination process to select the participatory grant committee, and facilitated the grant committee in developing decision-making criteria to review the proposals and ultimately make the funding recommendations.

The grant committee members, comprised of a diverse group of community members, civic leaders, and artists embedded in Chicago’s rich arts and culture scene, all appreciate how art fits into the community fabric in the Chicagoland area. The Committee was given near total control over the process, from design to decision (with IFF as an organizer and facilitator), ceding a great deal of power to the communities the initiative intended to serve.

The Grant Committee’s process wasn’t so different from other grantmakers. However, they were different deciders who made different decisions. Examples are focusing criteria on BIPOC-rooted art forms rather than more common criteria focused on BIPOC representation and acknowledging cultural expressions that traditional forms of grant support have historically passed over.

Beyond the critical general operating funding, capacity building and technical assistance were also co-created with the arts communities to meet their needs. Grantees had the opportunity to self-select which offerings they wanted to pursue, enabling IFF to meet each organization where they were in terms of their current capacity and future priorities.

We intentionally designed this, to the best of our abilities, to genuinely meet the needs of the organizations and their communities.

Capital alone cannot provide long-term sustainability, but capital paired with resources like financial management, peer learning, real estate consulting, and more does.

Tara Townsend

Chicago’s Cultural Treasures aims to address both immediate challenges and long-term systemic issues faced by BIPOC arts organizations. Can you share some specific strategies or programs that exemplify this balance?

When IFF agreed to administer ChiTreasures, it was with the understanding that we were not just administering grants. IFF works at the intersection of finance and facilities, ensuring nonprofits have what they need for long-term sustainability.

All of the programs that IFF administers focus on providing technical assistance in addition to capital. Capital alone cannot provide long-term sustainability, but capital paired with resources like financial management, peer learning, real estate consulting, and more does. So, while our involvement in ChiTreasures differed from other work we engage in, it still follows this program model: providing unrestricted grants – in this case, a total of $14.4 million – with access to workshops and resources in fundraising, board development, marketing and communications, financial management, and facilities planning and support. All of these are identified as key needs to help strengthen organizations and manage grant funds for sustained longevity.

Being named a Chicago Cultural Treasure significantly impacted organizations’ sustainability through grants and resources. It also broadened recognition of types of cultural treasures that have historically been overlooked for traditional forms of grant support. We hope that it opened up opportunities for Chicago’s arts and culture organizations—especially those deep in communities rooted in BIPOC culture—to receive additional support.

Beyond this, one of our commitments is to share the learnings and recommendations gathered from the initiative to support long-term changes in funding for organizations rooted in BIPOC arts and culture.

By design, ChiTreasures was not a standard grantmaking initiative. It was a race equity initiative for Chicago’s arts and culture sector.

Tara Townsend

The initiative recognizes the compounding historic inequities faced by BIPOC arts organizations. Could you discuss how Chicago’s Cultural Treasures specifically addresses these inequities? 

By design, ChiTreasures was not a standard grantmaking initiative. It was a race equity initiative for Chicago’s arts and culture sector. By ceding decision-making power to members of the community and by using an LOI (letter of intent) process, as opposed to a standard grant application, we aimed to disrupt the “regular” ways of grantmaking in hopes of countering historic inequities. The LOI process allowed us to explore organizations without using standard metrics for arts funding, which focus on artistic excellence rooted in Western European cultural standards and financial strength, which would naturally disadvantage these organizations due to decades-long histories of underfunding.

The initiative revealed—by the fact that over 140 letters of intent were received—that there are no hidden treasures; they had been buried by years of un-investment. And revealing that was one important step in the initiative’s success.

Since this unprecedented infusion of grant dollars, Chicago’s arts and culture organizations, especially those deep in communities and rooted in BIPOC culture, have received additional support, and we hope it continues. Two years after the grants were made, the funding collaborative and IFF continue to meet and work towards more equitable cultural funding practices.

Our hope is that the initiative’s collective impact will be the ongoing disruption of historical trends in funding for BIPOC-led and -focused cultural organizations as anchors in equitable community development.  

As President of IFF’s Social Impact Accelerator, you oversee various initiatives. What unique challenges or opportunities does Chicago’s Cultural Treasures present? How does the focus on BIPOC arts organizations shape your strategies and approach?

The Social Impact Accelerator (SIA) was created in 2018 to deepen and grow IFF’s impact by scaling what works, innovating new solutions, and driving systems change.

What sets ChiTreasures apart is not how the IFF team operates but the elements that were intentionally designed to make it a unique initiative. For one, the funding collaborative operates to shift funding decision-making and distribution powers to the community.

Another challenge was operating under a participatory grantmaking model and ceding power to the community members. Still, IFF is committed to doing things differently in order to ensure different results and long-term change.

The initiative revealed—by the fact that over 140 letters of intent were received—that there are no hidden treasures; they had been buried by years of un-investment.

Tara Townsend

With sustainability a key goal of Chicago’s Cultural Treasures, how do you measure the long-term impact and success of the support provided to BIPOC arts organizations?

We know that funding from philanthropic sources has been limited for BIPOC arts organizations. This requires these organizations to depend on other revenue sources that may be more fluid, like earned revenues from performances, resulting in uneven cash flows throughout the year. When organizations do receive funding, it is often program-specific or one-year, which limits their ability to plan for the long term.

So, to understand sustainability, we look at an organization’s revenue sources, whether it is reliant on just one source, and how much liquidity it has to weather leaner times. We also look at whether organizations receive more general operating or multi-year grants to understand whether philanthropy is adopting practices that lead to more sustainability for their grantees.

That ties into the initiative’s long-term influence. Observing how the funding landscape continues to evolve, specifically with BIPOC arts organizations, will enable us to evaluate the progress made. 

IFF is committed to gathering and sharing what we have learned and monitoring what unfolds in the future to support a positive change for more treasures across Chicagoland and beyond.

Imagery courtesy of IFF.

In tumultuous times, bold brands thrive on unique viewpoints, meaningful collaboration, creative bravery, and unwavering craftsmanship; precisely the approach taken by French start-up OLALA!

Founders François Blum and Simon Ferniot understand that taste remains paramount in consumer choices, especially in the plant-based industry. With this focus on taste, they revamped their brand design to propel their plant-based seafood globally. Teaming up with EVERLAND, a global consumer brand and design agency based in Scandinavia, they developed a comprehensive strategy encompassing brand positioning, communication, activation, and visual identity.

With a mission to provoke good growth through strategy, innovation, creativity, and consumer experiences, EVERLAND shapes bold future-looking consumer brands.

“When nearly all competitors focus on rationality and sustainability, we focus on the emotional aspects of having a great meal. Desires and tastes make for a much more robust platform”, explains Mads Hauge Lindum, Senior Brand Strategist at EVERLAND.

OLALA! crafted a product appealing to gourmet food enthusiasts, not just vegans and vegetarians. The new strategy and identity prioritizes taste excellence and ensures it’s reflected in every aspect of the brand, from casual conversations to formal communication. Even the name OLALA! reflects a well-known feeling – “Ooh là là” in French – a pleasant surprise. All communication revolves around great taste, delightful surprises, and the joy of savoring quality seafood.

We want to make waves, “ says Simon Ferniot, CEO & Co-founder at OLALA!. “We’re here to challenge the market but do it sustainably. Everland helped build a platform for breaking through the ordinary and creating lasting change for the better.”

OLALA! drew its visual inspiration from bistro culture, ​catering to food enthusiasts through its premium yet subtle branding. The design emphasizes the centrality of the meal experience, with off-white tones reminiscent of tablecloths and golden illustrations elevating the presentation. The logo reinforces the message of quality, healthfulness, and environmental friendliness. Currently offering six products, including “Salmonderful,” “Tunalicious,” and “Toramazing,” all featuring key algae ingredients, OLALA! plans to expand its product line soon.

“OLALA! is about taste in more than one way. It’s about the craft, creativity, and a mouth-watering sensation steaming on your plate. It’s understated confidence, verbally and visually; it’s what’s needed to make change happen.”

Carl Larsson, Creative Director & Partner at EVERLAND

Key Points From This Episode:

• Patagonia Provisions: why a clothing company decided to start a food company.
• How Kernza® Grain happened and the why behind the collaborative craft beer program.
• Patagonia’s journey from the apparel business to the food business.
• Patagonia Provision’s pursuits and ambitions in the food industry.
• Patagonia’s first and only acquisition and why crackers were the next space to invest in.
• What fires Paul up about the Regenerative Organic Movement (and what irks him).
• What ‘Regenerate, Rejoice, Restore’ means to Paul. 

Read the transcript and find links from the episode at Brands for a Better World.

The Brands for a Better World podcast (formerly Evolve CPG) is hosted by Gage Mitchell, founder (CEO) and Creative Director at Modern Species, a sustainable brand design agency helping better-for-the-world brand launch, evolve, and grow to scale their impact.

• Allowing consumers to feel part of something bigger than themselves.
• The history and product range at KOS.
• The power of social media in action: the story of an influencer sharing KOS products on TikTok.
• Distribution of KOS and where to find it online and in brick-and-mortar stores.
• Background information on Spencer Lynn and his journey into working in nutrition.
• Spencer’s best advice: learn from the successes and mistakes of others and allow them to learn from you.
• Spencer’s hopes for the future of food.
• How the ancient Greek tradition of preventative healthcare has influenced KOS.
• The complex and interesting world of CPG in comparison to ingredients.
• Amazon A and B testing.

Read the transcript and find links from the episode at Brands for a Better World.

The Brands for a Better World podcast (formerly Evolve CPG) is hosted by Gage Mitchell, founder (CEO) and Creative Director at Modern Species, a sustainable brand design agency helping better-for-the-world brand launch, evolve, and grow to scale their impact.

In time for the gift-giving season, Brand Pollinators, a company that facilitates impactful brand collaborations, and Modern Species, an impact-driven brand design agency, have launched the Impact-Driven Gift Guide. This colorful, beautifully designed, and easy-to-navigate online guide features over 70 unique, curated products from small businesses dedicated to making a positive social and environmental impact.

It’s really exciting to see so many companies coming together to help promote more conscious gift-giving by elevating the brands and certifications that are out here driving positive change.

Gage Mitchell, founder of Modern Species

All products are marked with one or more certifications demonstrating their value and verifying the integrity of their claims. The guide also includes a section describing how each certification makes an impact.

Certifications include:

• 1% for the Planet
• B Corp
• Climate Neutral
• Fair Trade
• Naturally Network (Minority Owned Fellowship)
• Regenerative Organic
• Plastic Neutral
• Upcycled
• Women-Owned

Gift-giving is a way to show appreciation for friends and family, but it’s also an opportunity to support the systems and communities behind the products.

Kate Fosson, founder of Brand Pollinators

We love this guide because it’s an exercise in consumer literacy, but it’s also fun and easy-to-use. Find eight unique gift ideas in each of the categories, including “foodies,” “makers,” and “community connections.” You’ll come away feeling more knowledgeable about your choices and more purposeful and value-oriented in your purchase power.

Get the complete guide with product links and discount codes at ModernSpecies.com.

The Genesis of Braille and Boston Line Type

Louis Braille, a blind man, developed the Braille system with a deep understanding of the needs of blind people. Utilising a set of raised dots to represent letters, Braille provides a tactile method for reading and writing. It was born out of a genuine need and was grounded in the practical experience of the visually impaired.

On the other hand, Samuel Gridley Howe’s Boston Line Type system emerged from his visit to the Institute of the Blind in Paris, where he encountered the raised letter systems of Valentin Haüy. Howe’s approach, however well-intentioned, was rooted in the Roman alphabet, which both sighted and blind individuals could read. This noble idea, however, failed to consider the lived experience of the blind community. Boston Line Type proved too complex and challenging to use effectively, leading to over a century’s delay in adopting the more user-friendly Braille system in the US.

Sample of Braille (left); Sample of Boston Line Type (right), courtesy of Ricky Irvine.

Howe’s resistance to a fundamentally different system for visually impaired people stemmed from the belief that this would isolate the blind community. While he intended to ensure inclusion, the reality was the opposite. This episode underscores a critical point: good intentions are not enough when designing for inclusivity. Without a continuous conversation between design and the users’ needs, even the best intentions can lead to fundamentally misguided approaches.

Inclusive Design Doesn’t Work in Isolation

Leaving people out of the conversation will always lead to isolation and exclusion. In contrast, inclusion leads to a world where more voices are heard, more people can contribute, and new perspectives enrich our collective experience.

This concept of inclusion versus exclusion in design extends beyond accessibility for the visually impaired and is still an issue today. In the world of branding, for instance, the digital execution of a brand must be an inclusive experience. However, creative agencies are often tasked with creating a brand independently from its digital expression, which a digital agency executes. So, while the creative agency may be well-informed about accessibility and how the brand they created needs to exist in a digital environment, the website can suffer if they are not guiding the production.

In a recent example, the Natural History Museum underwent a rebrand that was visually appealing and rich in design. However, the digital execution, seemingly developed in isolation, needed more elements that made the rebrand engaging. This situation highlights the need for a holistic approach combining creative and digital design. With more communication between the disciplines and the intended audiences, the result could have provided the richness of the rebrand and been accessible and appropriate for the broadest possible audience. Instead, it became a tickbox exercise rather than an opportunity. Both design and digital agencies must establish direct communication with the right communities, as even small efforts can lead to significant industry-wide progress over time.

How do we provide an equally rich experience and brand expression while still working within the boundaries of accessibility?

Learning From Experience

At UnitedUs, our experience working with D&A, a social enterprise led by and for disabled people, has significantly shaped views on practical design and inclusivity. The D&A project, undertaken while our team was still developing its accessibility knowledge, provided valuable insights.

Visiting the end users in person taught us that it can be just as discriminatory to say, “Here is your AA (ADA)-compliant colour combination,” and leave it there rather than providing a choice. So we created a system that allowed users to pick colour combinations from a predefined set of accessible combinations. Those choices could be needs- or aesthetic preference-driven–choice being the key aspect. The consultations showed us that good accessibility based on AA (ADA) standards barely scratched the surface of how people can genuinely engage with the website on their terms. It underscored the importance of understanding accessibility from the end user’s perspective and the limitations of rigid compliance with standards.

Additionally, the choice of typography in the project demonstrated how design can impact accessibility. Protest placards inspired the visual identity, so we used all-caps typography; however, we discovered that it could pose legibility challenges for some. Accessibility encompasses a broader perspective that considers compliance with standards and factors like legibility, letter form, and the overall reading experience. Therefore, as an agency, our approach is: How do we provide an equally rich experience and brand expression while still working within the boundaries of accessibility?

Lessons From the Past Inform an Inclusive Future

The example of Braille vs. Boston Line Type emphasises that good intentions alone are not enough; we must continually engage with the communities that need inclusive and accessible design.

We can’t collectively make the same mistake as Samuel Howe and stick doggedly to our conceptions of what is right. We must prepare to abandon our notions of inclusive and accessible design when demonstrably better alternatives emerge. We also can’t be afraid of advancing our understanding of this topic; we must take a proactive approach and ask questions we might get wrong rather than unquestioningly sticking within the accessibility guidelines, which date quickly. Guidelines are just the beginning step; we should always look to add, enrich, and develop what we do, understand, and how we work.

A hero of mine, William Blake, showed us that adherence to dogma, however sanctified, without challenging and questioning, only leads to stagnation. Progress happens when we engage in conversations challenging the status quo, moving us toward a more inclusive and accessible future.

This is a guest post written by Carl Rylatt, Design Director at UK-based strategic branding agency UnitedUs, is a seasoned and creative graphic designer. His extensive expertise spans print production, advertising concepts, branding, and identity. With a keen focus on the finer aspects of design, Carl is particularly passionate about branding, typography, custom type, and the intricacies of print preparation and production.

Is Stefan Sagmeister the eternal optimist? Yes. But he believes that optimism makes rational sense. Many things in our current moment need fixing. Sagmeister’s philosophy and the thesis of his new book Now Is Better is that we have a much better chance of solving them from a headspace of progress and positivity than we do if we let ourselves succumb to doom and gloom.

The challenge of our time: figuring out how to make positive news interesting.

Stefan Sagmeister

In this conversation with Debbie Millman and Steven Heller, Sagmeister discussed the inspiration behind his new book, Now Is Better. It’s been generations in the making. The artwork foundation for the book’s data visualizations came from the leftovers of Sagmeister’s great-great grandparents’ antique store, sourced in his parents’ attic. That 18th- and 19th-century paintings serve as the canvas for contemporary data is a metaphorical and literal interpretation of his thesis. When Sagmeister compares his life to his great-great grandparents, the data comes alive in a personal way alongside the personal history of his family.

For Sagmeister, Now Is Better isn’t just a familial story. It’s a global story told with cold, complex data about improvements in the lives of humans over the past 100 to 200 years. The art is there to provide a visual bridge. People can appreciate the painting for its aesthetics, but the data story is included on the back if people are curious about it.

Despite data telling us that things are better now than ever in human history, you might be skeptical, given the news cycle.

“If I’m in a good mood, I’m more useful to my community.

Stefan Sagmeister

What’s the cure for pessimism? You must override your amygdala, that part of our brain wired to latch onto perceived threats and keep us safe. Seeking the positive in an ocean of negative is hard work. One of Sagmeister’s favorite spots on the internet to send his amygdala packing is David Byrne’s Instagram editorial project @reasonstobecheerful.

If we can let in the positive, as designers and creatives, we’ll be able to put all of our might into working on solutions for the pressing challenges of our day.

Here are ten reasons for optimism from Now Is Better.

Don’t own a copy of Sagmeister’s book? You can order one here.

Humans evolve, and the way we learn develops, but we’re sitting at a pivotal point where the main source of news we’re consuming is simplified derivatives of a primary source. The information we’re consuming is filtered down to a 1080×1080 box of ill-designed statements that may or may not contain accurate data.

While scrolling through my Instagram during the deeply troubling Israel-Hamas war, I wondered why I saw the same graphics repeatedly. It wasn’t because they were the only ones out there; I’d often see new ones splashed between, but I realized that it was because these specific graphics were beautifully designed, legible, and quick to make a point. 

Thanks to social media algorithms, I recognized we often see the same memes shared continually because of how we respond and interact with design, not necessarily the truths within. Therefore, the same messages were constantly circulating and forming the zeitgeist, thinning out a range of perspectives, voices, beliefs, and ideals, regardless of whether the information shared was factual.  

Memes themselves carry an unspoken socio-political currency. Although they can be seen as an unconcerned approach to news, they often help surpass cultural and demographic barriers to become powerful tools for self-expression and connection. It allows for the efficient sharing of opinions and fewer barriers to understanding and communicating highly political and controversial topics. 

Not only do memes create a lower barrier for entry into conversation, but they also can provide a valuable coping mechanism.

Further, memes and distilled graphics allow people to enter high-level conversations without academic formalities or the fear of being alienated. These shareable graphics undeniably cultivate conversations for those who otherwise might not know where to begin. 

Not only do memes create a lower barrier for entry into conversation, but they also can provide a valuable coping mechanism. The American Psychological Association ran a study that focused on the effects of the consumption of memes and their coping efficacy. While the study focused on COVID-related memes, the study was able to prove the coping effectiveness of memes. 

“This study provides initial evidence that memes may not be just frivolous fun; they are potentially helpful for coping with the stress of a global pandemic and connecting us psychologically while we remain physically apart,” the study concludes. “Memes could be used as very cheap, easily accessible potential interventions to support coping efforts.”

When these graphics or memes posted on social media platforms are shared continuously, they become further removed from the context, allowing viewers to summarize and embrace their own meanings.

Further, clarifying information in its simplest form creates more palatable reports. “Aesthetically appealing and easily digestible graphics or memes that confirm a viewer’s bias in an extremely clear way tend to spread faster than content that takes more time to understand,” says Raphael Farasat, CEO at Truffl and an award-winning brand strategist and creative director. “The spread of this over-simplified content can significantly influence public opinion by reaching a larger audience and making the content seem more credible or important. Their design can evoke stronger emotional responses and engagement, thereby influencing how people perceive and interpret the news.”

Yet, there is a dangerous side to memes as well. When these graphics or memes posted on social media platforms are shared continuously, they become further removed from the context, allowing viewers to summarize and embrace their own meanings. 

Further, when the same messages are repeatedly shared, regardless of whether the information is true, it can cause unnecessary panic and false truths and change narratives entirely. “[The instant shareability] is a double-edged sword. The instant shareability ensures that information, opinions, and ideas circulate quickly, fostering a dynamic discourse,” says Farasat. “However, it also enables the rapid spread of misinformation, simplifications, and bias, which can skew public perception and understanding of events like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Designers play a role in determining what aspects of a news story get highlighted or overshadowed through their design choices.

Raphael Farasat, CEO at Truffl and brand strategist and creative director

Because of the current shift in how humans receive their news, there’s new pressure on designers to create factually accurate content in a concise, well-designed fashion. “Ethically, designers should aim to promote a balanced and informed conversation, ensuring their designs don’t misinform or fuel polarization,” communicates Farasat. “They play a role in determining what aspects of a news story get highlighted or overshadowed through their design choices.”

Farasat continues, “This is no different than designing content for brands. Rather than attempting to market a product or service, designers are marketing ideas. In the same way a designer for a cigarette brand bears some responsibility for their ability to convince people to smoke, a designer of political content should have some responsibility for the effects of their content — whether it exacerbates division or influences people to cause harm in real life.” 

Before the Hamas invasion and the following events, graphics and memes perpetually circulated misinformation or exaggerated information. For example, the Internet was suddenly barraged with memes about the Chinese ‘spy’ balloons flying over the US or the ever-cycling COVID-related misinformation via memes. While these memes provide simplified versions of the news, they also host mounds of misinformation and false claims. 

There’s a new call to action for designers to consider their power when controversial topics arise, especially those as significant as the Israeli-Hamas war. Because of the shift in how people consume news, designers have a new responsibility in sharing information beautifully and accurately and creating well-informed, factual rhetoric around events. Because, at the end of the day, the well-designed memes and graphics circulate the Internet to form the zeitgeist.

Banner composite by author.

Building a more just and joyous society takes real, system-level change. Which can feel daunting. Or, with a few shifts of perspective, it can feel exciting—possible, even.

We see three big perspective shifts that create contours around a new, necessary kind of conversation about change. One that we have as a studio, and one that influences how we partner with our clients.

1. We expect immediacy, but change is gradual.

The changes that have shaped our modern society—the movements for civil rights, voting rights, and LGBTQ+ rights, to name a few—took generations. And we’re still fighting hard to protect and build on them today. Building a just and joyous society is a long game that rewards persistence.

2. We expect simplicity, but change is complex.

Persistence alone won’t address the root causes of systemic issues like health inequity. Nor will a single-minded, inflexible approach to taking action. In response to complexity, we have to stay attentive and resourceful, evolving strategy and tactics as new windows for impact open. Adaptability will help us channel strength and persistence toward their greatest effects.

3. We expect heroes, but change is cooperative.

In the long, complex story about building a more just and joyous society, it’s tempting to think of ourselves as the protagonists, especially if our leaders, our people, and our supporters expect that from us. But the issues we aim to change arise from big, powerful systems—and, if you think about it, so do we. Each person, organization, and foundation has unique strength. And the more we can connect and pool those strengths to center change, versus centering ourselves, the more prepared we’ll be to meet systemic issues with systemic solutions.

We can build a more just and joyous society. But it takes persistence, adaptability, and collaboration. And it takes multiplying that across a network of people, organizations, and foundations who know their unique strengths and are willing to share them to reach a common vision for something better.

That’s who we partner with. We use strategy and design to help nonprofits change the conversation about what’s possible. Because, in our view, that’s what sparks and sustains real change—not by manifesto, but through honest, open, purposeful conversation. One that starts between a nonprofit’s leadership and its staff. And then emanates out to invite support and promote partnership, shifting over time as the network grows and adapts to reach their vision.

In this way, though, we think nonprofits have been underserved by their branding partners. Nonprofit brands have never been more prepared to take the stage (digital or otherwise) and proclaim their bold ambitions. We are not in shortage of boldly proclaimed ambitions. And yet, to quote Darren Walker, Ford Foundation president and Hyperakt client, “Our extreme challenges remain extremely unsolved.”

So, it’s time to think differently about change. It isn’t immediate—it’s gradual. It isn’t simple—it’s complex. It’s not just for heroes—it’s cooperative.

And it’s time to think differently about how branding can help nonprofits who do the hard work of change. It isn’t about creating heroes with manifestos. It’s about helping nonprofits spark, shift, and sustain conversations about what’s possible within their teams and across a network of supporters and partners.

When we do that, we can meet systemic issues with systemic solutions. And that’s what we mean by branding for a more just and joyous society.

If you’d like to explore how your organization’s brand can change the conversation, let’s talk.

This essay is by Deroy Peraza, Partner and Sruthi Sadhujan, Senior Strategy Director at Hyperakt, a purpose-driven design and innovation studio that elevates human dignity and ignites curiosity. Originally posted in their newsletter, Insights by Hyperakt.

Illustration by Merit Myers.

While the healthcare industry wasn’t previously known for its innate creativity, this unique strategy helps to create pharma design that’s more community-oriented and, therefore, inclusive. I had the opportunity to ask minds+assembly’s Head of Design, Stephen Minasvand, a few questions about how design, particularly typography, can impact the healthcare and pharma industries.

How did you get into the pharmaceutical design space? 

Before pursuing healthcare and pharma, I was your ordinary consumer art director / designer, working at big and small advertising agencies and design shops alike. I worked in every domain, from the U.S. Army, Verizon, Playboy, and MAC, to New York City locals like Chelsea Market and Industry City. Somewhere along the way, I lost my sense of direction. My career was moving along, but without orientation or purpose. I was exhausted and unfulfilled by the consumer industry.

For most designers, pharma and healthcare has a reputation for being the farthest thing from a gateway to a successful career. However, that’s precisely when I decided to see it as an opportunity to stand apart; to change what it meant to be a designer in healthcare; to do something potentially career-ending.

If I was going to possibly fail in this absurd endeavor, I was going to fail fast. I expeditiously jumped into the complex, beautifully constrained industry of pharmaceutical and healthcare creative. Much of my time was spent studying empathy, human-centered design, and how patients and doctors were spoken to. Placing myself into the position of who I’d be designing for; quickly realizing that those who suffer from illness, from lack of clarity, from confusing narratives were in dire need of more powerful communications, more authentic experiences, and more beautiful design. 

I connected with my colleagues and partners Ben Ingersoll and Joelle Friedland, who, like me, saw everything that was missing from the healthcare creative world.  

Now we acknowledge that design has a purpose of elevating people’s lived experience in genuine ways, and I personally benefit from building empathy through design to help connect people to the products they use. 

How can design help change people’s views about the pharmaceutical space? 

Human centered design, by nature, is empathetic. It’s built on genuine insights into needs and behavior. For decades, pharma and healthcare have been more interested in speaking at people rather than listening to them. The industry propagates mediocrity and inauthentic expressions of design, creativity, and experience. 

If you look at anything medical online, there’s loads of important safety information, incomprehensible data, and intimidating claims. Sadly, the industry that should matter most has fallen victim to, and accommodates, these complex narratives and artificial communications. In particular, the mental health category is rife with glib, tepid generalizations and visualizations. How can a person who suffers from a mental health condition connect with design that is entirely inauthentic and unrelatable?

Otsuka Pharmaceuticals challenged us to break the fourth wall separating them from Gen Zers living with mental health conditions. The result? Society of Valued Minds, a social media initiative that recognizes the value of every mind, giving voice to the thoughts and feelings of people living with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and more. 

Design, typography, verbal tone, composition, color— all of it has an impact. With SoVM, every aspect of design is considered and built to strengthen the connection with our audience. Typography and visual style let people know that they are both seen and heard. The design is a representation of them. When design and typography is weak, poorly laid out, lacks visual consideration and communication, the audience feels it, because they rely on it. When the product or experience expresses power, beauty, and simplicity, it’s an entirely different and new representation and effect. Beauty is the entrance into any experience. It simply makes people feel better. Beauty can be therapeutic, but far too few companies prescribe it.

More specifically, how can typography help improve the patient experience in pharma? 

Typography is simply one of the most significant forms of expression. Typography represents text, letterforms, words, sentences, paragraphs, narratives, stories, our thoughts, and our intent. It is, in some ways, the most direct form of communication we can offer. It’s also one of the most powerful tools in communication we have as designers. 

Typography offers its own narrative. Strangely, for something that is used to create words, there’s another language of type that is completely non-verbal. It is unspoken. Serif, sans-serif, light, thin, regular, bold, black, and every variant in between communicates something. Elegance, strength, academia, playfulness, power, volume, and beyond. Being able to choose the correct type for your design alone, is one of, if not, the most important decisions you will make as a designer, especially when it comes to the health and wellbeing of the people you are communicating to. 

Also, let’s not forget the functional significance of typography and how it’s experienced. Designers have tremendous responsibility, especially today, when it comes to working in healthcare. We deliver creative and communication that is meant to be functional, human-centered, and considerate of the person experiencing it. Content like important safety information, data sets, disease education, are knowledge and instruction that will potentially save your life, and it should be a priority for designers. Consider the person who is experiencing the product. 

Do you think typography and design are seen as an afterthought in the medical space? If so, how can designers help change this? 

Absolutely. The industry is dominated by brand-out sales, rather than customer-in conversation. This propagates a mentality that design for things like medicinal packaging, product claims, drug websites, communications, and beyond, can be de-prioritized, or lack creativity, innovation, and beauty. The pharma industry accepts mediocrity, due to the false assumption that people will buy medicine because they need it. It’s so much more than that. To make people better, the pharma industry needs to do better. 

We need designers to join our cause, and convincing them is difficult. Design often takes a backseat, due to the regulation and limitations around developing beautiful work. However, we believe it’s this limitation that breeds creativity, and there’s a responsibility to push as much as possible to make it better. The biggest danger for a designer is believing they can’t do more. We must enforce change in the world of pharma and health through simple, yet powerful pursuits such as typography. We need to connect beauty and design with the needs of the people who will ultimately rely on this product because, in some cases, their lives depend on it. 

Where would you like to see typography evolve in pharmaceutical design?

I envision a future where typography alone becomes as recognizable as part of the brand as anything else. A time when the letterforms and composition convey as much emotion and meaning as do the words they form, and the images they are surrounded by. Pharmaceutical advertising has a reputation of piling mountains of generic type, important safety information, and confusing paragraphs of incredibly serious and indispensable information. The solution to finding meaning and navigating this content is meaningful design. Today so much of type design is dumb and functional when it has the clear opportunity to add wit and emotion to communications. People who are ill, lost, and in need of it, deserve it. 

Peraza is also editor of Hyperakt’s email newsletter Insights, which is one of many missives that I receive from design firms around the world, but one of only a few that I read regularly with interest. Many of its stories focus directly on the differentiation in the branding process for nonprofit groups and organizations. You can subscribe here, but to encapsulate his ideas I asked Peraza to provide us with a quick summary of the studio’s vision (and show a few of the projects Hyperakt has worked on, including 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s brand).

What is the distinction between effective brands for commercial companies vs. nonprofit entities?
There are several important ones. Companies use their brand to compete with each other and gain more market share. Their primary goal is to convert customers.

For nonprofits it’s not about competition—the goal is to develop an engaged community. They use their brand to build trust and collaboration with their peers and allies; their success is married to the success of the larger field.

Marketing a product that attracts buyers, often by impulse, is a very different challenge than building a community based on shared values and visions of the world. In order to get people to invest time in or advocate for something they can’t necessarily buy, they have to connect with it both emotionally and intellectually. Building this kind of relationship with audiences is no small challenge.

Brands are expected to distinguish products in the same or related fields. But are there specific languages for different nonprofits?
Beyond reflecting the values and tone of an organization, the “products” nonprofits need to distinguish is their particular purpose and role in the social impact ecology, their approach to doing so, and the particular expertise of their team. 

Nonprofits usually aren’t selling a tangible, easily marketable product—a thing. They’re shedding light on an important injustice or problem and they’re unveiling the world they wish to create through their work over the long term—ideas. The focus of all language is on the people involved in that idea (the people who will benefit from your work, and the people doing the work) and the behaviors that need to change for us to accomplish them.

Let’s assume that there are two entities that require brand strategies. How do you define the needs of profit over nonprofit? And what tools do you need to accomplish your goals?
Nonprofits need clarity of mission and internal cohesion, which then translates to greater organizational capacity and impact. 

Nonprofits need to inspire trust (in their capabilities) and belief (in the mission to eradicate a particular injustice). A clarifying and compelling brand presence can help attract talent, rally allies and collaborators, and inspire donors and investors.

Because nonprofits require a lot of inside-out work, it’s important to spend time taking a pulse of the team, the culture, the history, the present state, the future trajectory, etc.

Who does the nonprofit need to appeal to through its branding?
Commercial brands are hyperfocused on consumers, a broad audience group that can be segmented infinitely into smaller and smaller groups, but who are united in motivation by their desire or potential desire to buy the product or service. A nonprofit, on the other hand, usually has multiple audiences (not just one audience that can be divided into multiple segments) who each have fundamentally different motivations and needs: donors, clients, employees, partners and collaborators, lawmakers and government officials, and segments of the general public that are attuned to the particular issues they focus on. To different degrees, nonprofits need to prioritize and connect with many or all of these audiences, catch their attention, and engage their hearts and minds.

Why does the nonprofit need to be distinct from the profit entity?
Because they serve vastly different audiences (community, not customers), goals (people, not profits), beliefs (values, not lifestyle), products (complex ideas, not simple products), and functions (systemic change, not instant gratification)—all of which should be reflected in different solutions. Given the time and resources to consider the best solution for different problems, it doesn’t make sense to offer the same solution for both.

What is the best practice for the nonprofit? Or is such a thing dependent on various individual needs?
We believe that brand is deeply rooted in the work, purpose and people of your organization. Our job as their branding process is to facilitate a process by which we can collaboratively unearth these roots, meaningfully wrestle with the insights and tensions at the heart of the organization’s work, and arrive at a core idea we can build their brand around. The goal of this process of branding “from the inside out” is to build brand resonance that reflects inner clarity, external confidence and a singular voice that makes people feel something when they connect with the brand. The resulting internal cohesion around the brand unlocks the organization’s ability to better leverage its resources, facilitates the execution of its mission and leads to increased impact.

Multi-disciplinary artist and designer Yinka Ilori is right there with me in my romantic regard for playgrounds, and recently took his bold, colorful visual style to the wonderful world of playground design. Ilori bestowed the UK’s Parsloes Park with a vibrant play paradise called The Flamboyance of Flamingos, co-commissioned by public art project Create London and the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

Ilori also collaborated with Becontree Forever, the painters over at The London Mural Company, and fabrication specialists at setWorks to create his designs. The result is an imaginative wonderland that pays homage to the history and wildlife of Parsloes Park, most notably nodding to the flamingos that previously inhabited the area. Some of the playground’s many scintillating features include a refurbished basketball court, a cocoon hillside slide, a seesaw, monkey bars, balancing blocks, an accessible merry-go-round, a joint swing, and a flamingo seating circle, of course!

I was completely captivated by Ilori’s stunning design (and woefully jealous of the children who get to play on it), so I needed to learn more about The Flamboyance of Flamingos from Ilori directly. His reflections are below.

Where does your love of color and pattern come from?

I was introduced to color at a young age, seeing my parents and their friends dressed in bright colors and rich textiles. This left a really strong impression on me, and has since become an important part of my work. I think color can be an incredibly powerful tool. Throughout my projects, I have explored how it can be used to tell stories, transport ourselves somewhere else, and influence our mood.

Did you enjoy playing on playgrounds yourself growing up? 

Growing up on a council estate in Islington, my friends and I would use any available space to play together. This included our balconies, where we would race around and come up with our own ideas of how to play together. The communal estate playground provided a more purpose-built space for us to be together, and begin to learn, to dream, and imagine. It had swings, tires, and motorbike spring rockers, and was a space where we could all come together and exchange ideas on how to play.

I come from a large family and neighborhood where sharing was a very big part of my upbringing, so I have a deep understanding of the value that community play spaces bring to children. They are incredibly important in providing the freedom to be together, learn from each other, and build relationships and memories. The playground from my childhood encouraged me and my friends to be ourselves and have some fun. These are some of the best, most positive memories I have.

The general aesthetic of your design work is so colorful, bold, and graphic, which really lends itself to a playground design. But in what ways was designing a playground different from your other design work? Do you see yourself designing more playgrounds or other types of play areas for kids in the future?

My work is inherently playful and engaging. I try to create installations, graphics, and architectural elements that can become a unique part of a local community and bring people together on the streets to experience their neighborhood in a new way. So in that respect, you’re correct: my work does lend itself well to the design of a playground.

I’ve worked on a number of projects that incorporate elements of design that encourage people to use the structures in exciting new ways to work collaboratively, and the design for Flamboyance of Flamingos is similar in that way. Rather than using the standard play structures you see in every park, I’ve created some slightly more unusual design elements that encourage kids to be creative in how they play together. 

The main difference would be that we had to really think about the way the space was going to be used by a large number of kids over a very long period of time. When children play, they do so very enthusiastically, climbing over things and running around, so we needed to make sure every element could stand up to this, and that the materials were hard-wearing and long-lasting. 

What was the ideation process like for designing the playground? I know that you conducted creative workshops with residents and children as part of this discovery phase. What was that experience like?

We wanted the park to be reflective of the local community, and accessible and appealing to children of all ages. Working with local residents on creative workshops to hear their stories was a really important part of the design process. We wanted to make their stories heard and base the design on what they wanted to see in the space. 

It’s always an incredibly rewarding process being able to go into a community to hear what they think about their local area, their lived experiences of spaces, and what they want from the facilities around them. So this was an incredible journey, and I’m so thankful to have had the time to work with the families around Becontree Estate. 

In addition to the workshops, I also researched the history of Parsloes Park. I wanted to explore memories of the park, and took inspiration from the wildlife that once inhabited the space. The flamingos that were once seen here have inspired the spring rockers and also the title of the project.  

How does it feel watching real kids enjoying the fruits of your labor as they play on a playground that you designed yourself?  

I am constantly amazed and inspired by kids. They have this incredible capacity to dream, and imagine, and turn the things around them into a fun game, and they are generally open and collaborative with each other. Sadly, as we grow up, we lose this ability. It’s an absolutely incredible feeling being able to watch how the kids decide to use the play space. How kids think, work together, and come up with new ideas is a great reminder that we all need to make more time to be playful. Being able to provide them with an engaging space to be themselves and see that spark in them is so rewarding.

UK beverage company innocent and London design studio ShopTalk provide an excellent example of where to step in with their new digital platform The Big Rewild. This charming, intuitive app not only provides concise information about innocent’s sustainability efforts, but invites consumers to take part. Green tones and leafy design emphasize the project’s passion for nature, while games, easter eggs, and witty illustrations add a sense of play and optimism. This fun, accessible educational hub shows how brands can hold themselves accountable and empower consumers at the same time.

ShopTalk designs digital platform as part of innocent’s new campaign: the Big Rewild

London-based design and brand studio ShopTalk has partnered with innocent to create a digital platform as part of the Big Rewild, innocent’s new campaign inviting drinkers to support rewilding efforts.

ShopTalk created a digital hub which forms an integral part of the digital toolkit for innocent’s campaign content – from core information on carbon reduction plans to rewilding inspiration and activities. The interactive site sits alongside innocent’s digital strategy, limited edition pack and OOH advertising to bring together the campaign and drive strong awareness and support for the rewilding initiatives that innocent is enacting within its business and beyond.

ShopTalk’s design is built to delight and engage people, with an emphasis on assets that encourage interaction and participation – first online and then in the community. One stand-out element is the “Spin the bottle” game, which prompts users to spin an innocent orange juice bottle to receive a random challenge that inspires them to take an action toward rewilding and saving the planet.

The design overall captures the attitude of the Big Rewild project – leaning into green tones, natural textures, and interactive elements. Quizzes, maps, interactive easter eggs, and a dynamic counter that tracks the trees planted in orchards as part of the campaign infuse innocent’s recognisable playful-yet-informative positioning into the platform for a brand experience that’s both inspiring and reinforcing.

James Wood, Creative Director and co-founder of ShopTalk says: “We were brought on to develop the digital platform which demanded translation of incredibly complex material into a playful, easy-to-understand user experience. The Big Rewild hub is designed to inform and inspire people to learn more about innocent’s rewilding projects and get involved in the campaign. We’re proud to have partnered once again with innocent and helped them bring the Big Rewild to life.”

This campaign comes off the back of ShopTalk’s recent redesign of innocent’s website with the brand’s commitment to reducing its carbon emissions in mind. The resulting addition of a “green switch” allows site visitors to opt into an energy saving version of the website – an effective way to reduce the site’s overall carbon footprint.

The Big Rewild, as well as innocent’s new website, are now live.

—Hans Hoffman

Technology experts claim that the acceptance and growth of any new technology is a slow progression. It’s a slow income time, placid and shallow at first, slowly growing until the degree of acceptance surges, suddenly becoming a wave that floods everything in its path. The internet grew out of military communication concerns, and blossomed from small utilitarian protocols into the complex living organism that now dominates culture and commerce. Today, we are walking in the shallows of artificial intelligence technologies, and small waves are gently lapping at our ankles. However, those who understand AI know that the tsunami is on its way. At the very least, the changes resulting from AI will be fully enveloping for designers and creators. If we don’t understand or learn how to manage the AI that is currently being incorporated into communications and creative tools, it could undermine humanity’s role in controlling in creativity as we know it.

Artificial intelligence is more than just complex mathematics— it is a process of securing information, turning it into optimized data, and using algorithms to find the best prediction. That best solution is then used to effect some desired result, guiding the car to a desired destination, and navigating the next turn safely. Choosing the best background for an image may involve turning a 2D image into a realistic 3D rendering and, in the process, turning a mere snapshot into a false reality. These are the obvious, open, and sometimes notorious uses for AI; it is the hidden or more subtle uses of the technology that create its seductive powers. The AI chip in your mobile device guides you on your walk, chooses the best images to post, and tells marketers what ads to show you. Social media apps determine who, or what, will be interesting based upon your purchases, browsing histories, and past interactions. All these functions ride on top of artificial intelligence engines. But AI is not limited to social media technologies— they are just the low hanging fruit for AI creators. The real magic is evident in computationally complex apps, such as applications commonly used by designers.

Design programs are starting to use AI extensively. They’re most visible in magical completion of the missing parts of an image, smart deletion of unwanted backgrounds, auto color, auto exposure and image sharpening tools we use. Designers and photographers have become extremely reliant on these aides, and in response, the way we design and take photographs has changed. It is a self-reinforcing cycle. Adobe, Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, among others, rely on AI to make their products easier to use. This simplicity of use comes with a complex trade-off. The data and access to information you give to cloud-based app providers is much deeper than most people understand. This access may even extend to data stored on your hard drive, on the cloud, and even on your mobile device. AI is always searching for data and the creators of AI-enhanced technologies are very creative in the way they consume your data. Why? More data makes the reach with consumers deeper; it may make the product better, more seductive and, undoubtedly, it makes the provider more valuable. However, the use of AI has an echo chamber effect— not only does it affect outcomes, it also shapes decisions regarding inputs. What happens when effect shapes the design brief? I believe AI will eventually become a more commonplace tool for making business decisions. When this happens, AI will begin to influence and shape the creative work product. It will start slowly, but at some point, business managers will likely rely on AI to make even more decisions. But as AI gets better, does that make it any more trustworthy?

Business owners want to ensure the process of creating, designing, and marketing products and services is efficient and, above all, results in measurable profits. Shiny new concepts and tools are always welcome, and few are as new and shiny as artificial intelligence. The process of classic design thinking relies on securing information about customers and understanding their needs, followed by ideation, prototyping, testing, and reiteration. Current AI technology is a perfect fit for the first and second part of this process. As the technology improves, the remaining processes will easily be incorporated into AI design processes. The problem with AI in this context is that it must rely on what it learns, and it only learns from the information that is given. Typically, the humans providing this information are not artists or designers. They are low-paid assembly line knowledge workers who make decisions based on a lowest cost basis. Humans then construct the algorithms that tell the computer what data to use. Designers have little to no influence during this process; they just have to live with the results.

Fields that rely on AI tools include transportation, industrial operations, banking, communications, manufacturing, and medicine. But AI is affecting every industry, and design software is not immune to this trend. Adobe states that their new analytics software, Adobe Sensi, is a set of tools will help designers “optimize and scale user experiences” with “real-time intelligence” and help marketers predict customer behavior based on “attributes, differences, and conversion factors.” Stated simply, what Adobe and similar companies are promising is that AI will create shortcuts, like an easy path from design to market success. But designers should remain mindful that creativity, good artwork, and good design are inherently human pursuits. Will these tools create a valid shortcut in the creative process, or hinder its natural progression?

So when, and how, should we use AI to enhance creativity? While it can be a helpful addition to a design toolkit, designers must understand how it can influence creative processes as it becomes prevalent. AI creates the promise of easy answers, or at least, a faster way to get usable solutions. For a product manager or business owner, any tool that makes it easier to understand customers and their desires is a good thing. The problem with AI in design is that, because usable data is difficult and very expensive, tool creators will be tempted to use the same data sets repeatedly. This is dangerous, as the overuse of certain data will inevitably create bias in the algorithms guiding AI. While the information within an AI solution is what creates its magic, it’s also a significant part of its danger. At the very least, resulting designs will soon lose their distinctiveness.

An artist / designer who chooses to work with AI must remain mindful of the fact that it is not one single technology. Facial recognition, gaming, and many creative uses of AI use Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) networks, a type of machine learning that is also used to create deep fakes. To my knowledge, the issue of licensing a person’s image and subjecting the photos to GANs manipulation has not yet been addressed. If a designer is working with GANs technology, the model release should at least identify that the photos may be computer manipulated.

Deep learning is a subset of AI machine learning that incorporates additional neural networks. This technology is usually associated with automation and “teaches” an AI application to make better decisions for performing analytical and physical tasks without human involvement. This technology could also train a design application to use tools in the designer’s own style or manner of working. If these applications are cloud-based and served to your workstation on demand, review the settings to ensure that you are comfortable with the default level of sharing. You may wish to avoid granting excessive access to the information you’ve created while working with the application.

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and their cousin, Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) are another subset of machine learning. CNN technology is commonly used for image classification (identifying an object in a picture) or feature recognition (identifying patterns and voices), while RNN is associated with speech recognition tasks. Designers who create work that incorporates image and/or voice recognition, such as UX and UXI, should be aware these technologies require specific methods of input which may affect the final UX experience. Designers will also find that computer processing power will impact the possible implementation of their designs. Designers who create UXI for reinforcement learning systems, such as teaching machines that manage large data sets, must ensure they understand the limitations of the technology. In this case, it’s important to ask questions about the type of user, as well as how the design will be used. Find out if the computing devices and human interfaces have input or graphics display limitations. You can always ensure a better solution by learning about the intended uses for a design that interfaces with AI.

As AI tools become more sophisticated, they will certainly go on to influence choices in prototyping, fonts, color ways, image styles, and design element placement. In sum, design decisions will become based upon data selected by third parties who may or may not be designers. Choices by AI engines will not evince the creativity, imagination, and exploration that all good designers exhibit. All of which leads to the following questions: who is selecting the data? What is their design experience, and what are the criteria for selection or exclusion of information? If there are weaknesses in these choices, they contribute to the bias inherent to the algorithms. If this consideration goes unchecked, AI will corrupt creativity and design. The danger of such shortcuts will result in questionable choices being “baked into” a project, and will be part of many projects when an AI engine is used repeatedly. The results will feel devoid of the search and discovery that form the uniquely human elements of creativity. The wise designer will come to understand that while AI is a design aid, it is not a solution to design problems.

Who decides which projects get funded? Your peers in the design community make all the decisions. Sappi invites a team with expertise in print design, packaging design, and social impact to determine the grant-winning projects. The 2022 judges included Andrew Gibbs, Founder of the Dieline; Bryony Gomez-Palacio, Co-Founder of UnderConsideration; Dian Holton, Senior Deputy Art Director at AARP; Gage Mitchell, Principal and Creative Director of Modern Species; and Libby Cole, Principal of The Work Department.

The six grant recipients for 2022 are:

Reading in the Deep: Illustrated Children’s Books about Life Below Water
On behalf of Reading Partners
Esther Pearl Watson, Mark Todd and students from Art Center College of Design

This collection of illustrated children’s books will motivate children to develop their literacy skills by providing visually interesting short storybooks about ocean life.

Here to Stay! A poster and advertising campaign
On behalf of The Door
Grace Han and Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP)

Many young immigrants come to the US fleeing violence or oppression, sometimes even from their own families. Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) is a form of immigration relief that protects these youth. For this poster and advertising campaign, the nonprofit, The Door, collaborated with CUP and designer Grace Han to create materials with comprehensive information that breaks down what SIJS is, the criteria to qualify for SIJS and eventually a green card, the process young people need to work through with the support of a lawyer and the long-term benefits of SIJS.

Model Maternity Spaces
On behalf of Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
MASS Design Group

MASS Design Group has partnered with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to develop a human-centered design process to improve maternal-newborn facilities in traditionally underserved populations.

Yasuní: our rainforest, our life.
On behalf of La Poderosa Media Project
Natacha Poggio, Design Global Change/University of Houston-Downtown

Yasuní, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, is a tropical rainforest in Ecuador and one of the world’s most biologically diverse places on Earth. This integrated multimedia campaign will support La Poderosa Media Project’s ongoing conservation education activities and its vision of transforming communities one story at a time.

Rent For Moms: More than Toys for Tots
On behalf of Done for DiDi, Inc.
Sara Barr

This grant project will help educate existing and potential supporters about the work that the nonprofit, Done for DiDi undertakes to address poverty and will help to raise funds to provide monthly micro-funding rent stipends and seed money for programs that support Black women and Black Marginalized Genders.

For Colored Girls Who Weather Life’s Storms
On behalf of Trauma & Resiliance Initiative, Inc.
Rija Khan Designs

Statistically, because of social and structural inequalities, women of color are more likely to be impacted by adverse childhood and community experiences, leaving them vulnerable to a host of physical, social, and feelings of unwellness and social disconnectedness. This innovative project offers a suite of creative resources to empower, encourage and support healing.

You can apply for an Ideas that Matter grant in the fall of 2022. For more information about Sappi’s Ideas that Matter grant recipients, please visit our website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

The seal will get granted to those in the private sector who have distinguished themselves for their sustainability efforts. Brought to life by HRH Prince Charles’ Sustainable Markets Initiative and the creative collective LoveFrom, the seal is rich with ornate natural iconography.

With LoveFrom founder and the former Chief Design Officer at Apple, Jony Ive, at the helm of the design, the Terra Carta Seal features delicate flourishes of illustrated flora and fauna that exemplify the charter’s goals of preserving nature, people, and our planet.

The circular seal includes intricate depictions of oak leaves, acorns, fern, magnolia, phlox, ladybirds, monarch butterflies, birds, and honey bees. These elements get woven throughout a “Terra Carta” wordmark composed in LoveFrom’s very own exclusive serif inspired by John Baskerville’s letterforms, a bespoke typeface only available for special projects such as this. The ornamented details are bordered by Terra Carta’s motto, “for the harmony of nature, people and the planet, ”in both Latin and English.

The illustrated elements of the design drew inspiration from the patterns and compositions of William Morris, Josef Frank, Nick Knight, and Christopher Marley. The result is a “visually lush celebration of the power of nature,” as Ive himself puts it.

As an addendum to the digital seal, LoveFrom collaborated with British paper mill James Cropper to create a physical paper version. The team crafted the physical edition using a combination of printing, embossing, die-cutting, and micro-perforation techniques, with the text letterpressed into handmade exposition from James Cropper’s Paper Foundation in Cumbria (which runs on solar and hydropower).

We have a long way to go to set our planet on the path of recovery and preservation. But if we can harness the same mastery and precision used in this seal design, I think we’ve got a shot.

Morcos Key’s second visualization for RAND Art + Data visualizes the data around how millions of refugees rely on technology, specifically with cell phones. From employment to faith purposes to education and more, the work that Wael Mocros has created is provoking, eye-opening, and makes you want to help, just as all great art does.

Morcos Key’s second visualization for RAND Art + Data explores how millions of refugees around the world rely on digital technology—particularly mobile phones—as an essential tool for survival, for communication, and for holding onto their history and identity.

The primary visual of this piece is a photograph taken by Wael Morcos in May 2009 on the shoreline of Antelias, Lebanon. In the photo, two people hug while looking across the horizon. “The expansive body of water becomes a metaphor for the crossing—the distance that many refugees travel,” Morcos says. “And the two human bodies intertwining remind us that, while technology can shorten the distance, it can never replace the warmth of an embrace.”

The 2019 report, Crossing the Digital Divide, includes findings from focus groups that RAND researchers conducted with displaced people in Colombia, Greece, Jordan, and the United States. These individuals explained the many ways in which mobile phones are a vital part of their lives—providing a direct line to faraway family and friends, access to health care services and information, opportunities for education and employment, and much more.

Developing this piece was deeply personal for designer Wael Morcos of Morcos Key. From his own experience—not as a refugee but as a migrant—he understands what it’s like to be separated from home and from those you love. 

Project Credits

Wael Morcos of Morcos Key

Bruised apples are one of the few things that are universally loathed. But now, they’re being used as a force for good.

A shelter for abused women and children in Canada called Interval House has teamed up with Canadian advertising agency UNION to bring an innovative new awareness activation to grocery stores in Toronto that creatively supports victims of domestic abuse.

Titled “Bruised Fruit,” the initiative takes the quintessential ovular stickers slapped onto produce and has repurposed them to provide information about supportive services, including the phone number for the Interval House 24/7 crisis hotline. These stickers have then been placed onto bruised and overripe apples within a special display so that shoppers can find the help they need at the one place they might finally be away from their abuser — the grocery store.

The campaign is particularly critical during COVID-19, as women had to shelter in place with their abusers throughout the pandemic, resulting in intimate partner violence skyrocketing. Not only have many women quarantined in lockdown with their abusers, but the circumstances of COVID-19 have also made it even more difficult than it already is for victims to reach out for support. Bruised Fruit offers an out-of-the-box solution that women can safely and secretly put directly into their shopping cart.

Earl of East is a fragrance and lifestyle brand based in London. Freshly, the brand collaborated with the London-based Uncommon Creative Studio. Together, the two brands created a line of candles titled “Scents of Normality.”

Because your sense of smell is one of the most vital powerhouses in bringing back memories, it only made sense that this line was created for Choose Love for World Refugee Day, which falls annually on June 20th. Each of the three candles has a specific range of smells that bring back three touching memories from refugees of Syria, Iran, and Nigeria.

The three candles come beautifully packaged in matte black boxes with a pop of pastel colors that reference the scent within. Vanessa Nwosu’s memory of Nigeria steams from the smell of fresh rain, sugarcane, pineapple leaves, and hibiscus flowers from her grandmother’s garden, all neatly wrapped up with a pastel green hue.

The package design features the geographical coordinates of each place the scent originates from and an illustration of an upside-down candle wick that reflects the idea of a pin on a map.

The candles can each be purchased at Earl of East‘s website or in the brand’s Coal Drops Yard store in King’s Cross, London. All profits go to Choose Love.

Project Credits:

Agency: Uncommon Creative Studio.

Director: Hassan Akkad

DOP: Ayman Alhussein

There’s no denying that there is a diversity gap in the design field; according to research from Data USA, only 4.84% of designers are Black. Not only does this mean that companies are not internally diverse, but it means that, externally, the look and feel of products nationally and globally come to fruition without an inclusive perspective.

Diversity in Design collaborative (DID) is on a mission to address and change this absence of Black creatives in design. Their leadership creates a space where companies and industry partners acknowledge that diversity is a creative advantage and can work together to bridge the racial gap.

The group is kickstarting collaborative efforts to make significant changes, including raising awareness and access for youth involved in design, enhancing opportunities for students, and providing opportunities for upcoming designers through mentorships, internships, and professional development.

.To be an active member of the group, financial contributions aren’t necessary. Instead, to participate, companies are pledging sweat equity to help out in vital and operative ways. Companies such as COLLINS, Dropbox, Gap, Work & Co, Pentagram, and countless others have made their pledges. Some companies have already started helping out. Work & Co, for example, is the UX partner and the powerhouse behind the initiative’s website design. COLLINS implemented a high school internship program that stretches into BIPOC students’ college careers and assisting with job placement, in addition to intensive online classes

Advocacy groups such as Where Are The Black Designers are vital and considerably encourage Black artists, DID is distinctive in that it’s working to make changes at the root of the problem which, like many topics, starts with adolescents. These changes can help launch a more diverse and inclusive design community by engaging and supporting Black youth.

If you’re unfamiliar with the group behind the event, Where are the Black Designers? is a non-profit, volunteer-led design advocacy group making space for Black creativity, as well as connecting designers, educators, and creative leaders.

Dating back to 1987, in an original piece by Cheryl D. Miller on PRINT titled “Black Designers Missing in Action” and taking its name from a Maurice Cherry talk at SXSW in 2015, the question about where the Black designers are is an inquiry that, sadly, still needs answering 34 years later.

For two days, the non-profit group will host over 30 speakers on topics ranging from violent vs. non-violent allyship and creating spaces to recruiting as the gatekeeper of White Supremacy, all to project the voices, visibility, and creativity of Black designers.

The event is both free and accessible virtually. This year’s list of speakers includes Cheryl D. Miller, known for establishing one of the first Black women-owned design firms, Cheryl D. Miller Design Inc, in New York City in 1984, to design researcher and graphic designer Omari Souza, who has remarkable research exploring the idea of perceptions and how visual narratives shape culture. Wolff Olins CCO Forest Young will speak, as will the ever-popular Aaron Draplin, and with his usual irreverence, it’s sure to be a talk you won’t want to miss.

WATBD is also hosting a poster challenge that protests the racial disparity within the creative and tech industries in conjunction with the event. The challenge is open to any creatives, and you can submit your poster design to @wherearetheblackdesigners Instagram until June 20.

“This year, there is a sense of urgency and attention around the lack of representation in the design industry—this is so important,” the organization wrote in the run-up to the event. “As we push forward together, we must be mindful of the past and strategic about the future.” To register for the event, go here—it’s free, so what are you waiting for anyway.

When you think about deforestation or the disappearance of certain ecological elements, the first things that might come to mind are rainforests vanishing or icebergs melting.

While these are very real problems the environment is up against, the forgotten forests-also known as seaweed forests-are dissolving quickly due to pollution, ocean heatwaves, and other factors. Alarmingly, a recent study from researchers at UC Santa Cruz analyzed 34-years worth of satellite imagery and discovered that 95% of the kelp forests off California and Mendocino county coasts were now gone. Restoring the seaweed forests could be a significant step to decreasing climate change and limiting biodiversity loss within the realms of the ocean.

To help create some much-needed change and avoid collapse, SeaForester is a campaign working to raise awareness of the colossal environmental advantages of rebuilding kelp forests. How&How, a digital design agency with offices in London and Lisbon, recently partnered with SeaForester to help raise awareness of their seaweed forest mission for World Oceans Day 2021.

The concept of “seeing the sea like land” was born, and that theme surrounds the entire branding system. Seaweed inspired much of the visual elements, from its wavy ethereal nature and its frilly texture to the color palette of the marine plant. Throughout the identity, you’ll find animations that visualize the bobbing and drifting motion of seaweed. The display font at the heart of the campaign, Wulkman Display, was picked due to the typeface’s sharp and stylized elements and the thin hairlines and ball terminals that are reminiscent of the shape and nature of the seaweed plant.

The beautiful details throughout are sure to inspire viewers to learn more about our seemingly hidden Seaweed forests. Through this impactful source of educational materials, the hope is that they can raise alarm to the issue and create a lasting impact; with beautifully designed branding comes interest, with interest comes education, and with education, hopefully, comes change.

You may also listen to this piece in audio form, read by the author, here:

The space of flows, a hope of mainstreaming Transition Design

From a distance, Transition Design (as a field of inquiry or study) is the means by which we consider various complex issues, social challenges and wicked problems. It’s often deployed as a tool for planning, establishing the participants/stakeholders in their roles in the various systems in which we live, work and—for the last couple hundred years—make a big old mess. Transition Design (and the approaches it trains people towards) has become more and more clear to me as the intention to reform our actions—at any scale—into more sustainable ones.

A key aspect to the success of this work has been a special kind of objectivity (a lack of fear), the ability to make the problem visible, and to articulate the problem in ways those inside (and outside) of it could not have conceived. And even the application of some novel (often proprietary, see Monsanto) technology to the problem.

Designers like to think of themselves as problem-solvers, and we (some more than others) have managed to carve out (arguably) enviable types of influence on and inside large and small companies, organizations and institutions. Influence that has given design a seat at the table in business and governments all over the world, for decades (see RAND Corporation; see Charles and Ray Eames’ India Report).

Black people, living with embedded intelligence available only to Black and other marginalized persons whose resilience will continue to be valuable, are also interested in a seat at the table.

Because design in the United States has been so White, you might extrapolate from observation that White people (White designers) solve problems and make technologies for everyone, and you might even be right. Designers are often producing technology for people they do not know, in a place they have never been, for a life they have never had. Products, processes, technologies—not necessarily interested in solving all the problems that new design interventions create.

I think this—in all of its myriad versions of doing design to other people—has become typical, and that fact should never be ignored. It should be an ongoing concern in which all designers have some awareness. If you aren’t the audience, to some degree you’ll be putting yourself (biases and judgements) upon the audience. And that’s not always appropriate.

To that end: It really does matter what you do, who you do it for, with, and how you connect to the impact of your output.

Decent people—some of them designers—with little context or ability to solve problems without marginalizing people, are living in an ocean of garbage policy and defunct technologies and imperfect systems produced by hundreds of years of the aforementioned type of influence. I sense something that suggests that we can expect to measure systems in multiple new ways, like density: the ability to silo and bury the most important levers and switches of democracy and public policy by surrounding them with expressions of power, largely disconnected and mired in bureaucracy. These expressions of power are dependent on the discretion of people who are afraid. Afraid of losing their employment, afraid of the worst parts of Black and Brown people and Queer people. It is a dark mythology, something we are asked to revere and respect for the purpose of accepting whatever emerges from the system. An outcome that validates our own worst fears. Now, it’s also a good time to be afraid of the worst in White people. Openly.

The remedy to this is interdependence. Connection. Everyone wants a purpose, an influence, an effect. The people inside, the people outside, the people adjacent, the people who are witness to an action. Everyone. And without exception—people who are exploited know it. It’s a myth to believe they are stupid. They are loved by people who know that they are being exploited by another person, company, policy or system. Exploitation includes intentional distortions of reality for others. Some people are immune to that distortion—and for those who are not, it is through connection and community that those distortions are best challenged and disrupted.

The old way to view labor was “Big” (getting bigger), disconnected and bureaucratic. It was effective at making people fear each other. Yet the way designers like to be utilized is connected, integrated and with awareness of their impact on any product or system.

So, Black designers. White designers. Ya feel me?

I’ll just straight up say: It’s going to be more important than ever to have Black and Brown people trained to solve problems. There is relevance and importance in creating spaces for Black people to solve them, by themselves, in groups, with requisite amounts of authority and responsibility. Problems for Black people, and problems for White people, too—because Black people can have the same, if not more useful instinct, capacity, ability and even assumptions, but we will never know if you don’t let us try. Brown people, Queer people, all people.

For design to work for everyone, we are going to have to discover ways of extending the value of our design clients, who—through one action or another—seem to make the problems that we (or other designers, experts and scientists) have to solve later: problems of emissions, of equitable employment, housing, disease, industrial waste, prisons, policing, guns. All or most corporations that—with their influence—create disruptions of every type in every ecology they enter. We need to synchronize/harmonize them with the systems and practices in the various geographies they impact. Practices that have human consequences—and sometimes victims.

Maybe we don’t imagine radically interdependent futures. It’s not because it’s not possible; it’s because we have not developed a sense of the actual cost of our complex modern lives, though we are already deeply dependent. It has not been profitable to teach people to care about sustainability and interdependence. If we are going to experience radically interdependent futures, we need to be whole people, paying more attention to more things, to willingly enter the space of flows and know trust.

Transition design has already shown us that there must be inquiry, interrogation and research—a process that captures instinct, feedback and direction from the whole community of concerned persons with the opportunity to particip
ate in solving the problem. It is a very exciting proposal if it includes accountability, support, acknowledgment of interdependency and an agreement to use all these elements to define needs.

Why? Because design always speaks to a need.

If we need less, we can have it all.

In this post-pandemic cycle, this is the fundamental and emergent theme in Transition Design. It is useful at all levels for all people who are solving problems. The underlying technologies of learning to need less, sharing and allowing for interdependency (aka vulnerability) are the answer. It could also be (the true nature of) collaboration: sharing in the process—and all the outcomes, too.

—Rick Griffith

Additional Reading:

• Designs for the Pluriverse by Colombian Anthropologist Arturo Escobar (Duke University Press)

• The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins, a 2015 book by the Chinese-American anthropologist Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing

Rick Griffith produces a limited-edition print to accompany every issue of Processing (,.,.,.,.,.,.,). Get the latest here.

Professional designer organization AIGA just released its 2021 Design Point of View report, exploring the impact of COVID-19 upon designers and work trends to watch for in a post-COVID environment.

AIGA surveyed 5,437 participants in over 100 countries to capture a snapshot of the design industry during a tumultuous and historic moment in time. Unsurprisingly, the pandemic put economic pressure on many designers, with unemployment rising to 6% from a previous level of less than 1%. Also, 4 in 10 reported a negative impact on their income, and 20% struggled to stay afloat, considering leaving the profession entirely.

“This major research initiative is an in-depth look at the design industry that allows us to get a better understanding of the profession as well as its larger impact,” said AIGA Executive Director Bennie F. Johnson in a press release. “AIGA’s goal with this new research is to build actionable insights into a dynamic profession that continues to evolve and expand in new directions. We want to know what the industry looks like today and tomorrow, and the ways in which design is transforming our world.”

Approximately half of the respondents said they volunteered their talents on community projects during the pandemic, and 60% believe design plays a role in emerging from the COVID crisis stronger.

New technologies like AI and Machine Learning, augmented and virtual reality, collaboration software, online behavior tracking and modeling, and virtual workplaces and telepresence as the top tech trends that the community believes will cause the largest impact on the design industry.

AIGA found that the issues in the design industry that still need to get addressed include pay gaps, underrepresentation in leadership specifically, and for certain groups, industry-wide. Additionally, the industry must continue to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

“What we found in this research is not only how much there is to celebrate in the design community, but also how much more needs to be done to continue creating a better community for all. These findings will help us better understand who makes up the profession and how we can create a sense of belonging for the broader design community,” added AIGA’s Chief of Insights & Learning Dr. Rubens Pessanha in the same press release.

The 2021 Design POV research was conducted with support from PepsiCo. Go here to read the report in full.

Periods For Periods is a typographic protest masterminded by 140 of the best designers working today. From Debbie Millman, the Editorial Director here at Print Mag and host of Design Matters podcast, and Ellen Lupton, the renowned curator, writer, designer, educator to, Diana Ovezea, the amazing type designer to Joy Li the colorful Australian illustrator and designer.

Together, this large group of designers has each graphically designed a period symbol to make up an entire set of period glyphs. While some creators took the task literally, with works representing uteruses or splotches, others took it more abstractly through designs such as a yin-yang-inspired design and a quirky smiley face.

This project was created to shed light on period poverty and create an initiative to campaign for free menstrual products in schools. The Periods for Periods group educates people that one in five teens, according to State of the Period, can’t afford period products and disproportionately affects women of color,

The tag line for the project is, “End a sentence, start a revolution.” Creating a set of glyphs available to anyone proves that communicating the issue of period poverty will help spread the message and ultimately enact change. Periods for Periods is a mission we can fully support. Period.

There are enough earthly tragedies perpetrated by man and nature to keep poster exhibitions—or PfTs, Posters for Trauma—running for decades. Among the latest in a wave of protest, cautionary and advocacy shows is “From Chernobyl to COVID-19: Events That Changed the World.” The exhibition is a collection of works that “dissect some of the most poignant events in recent history,” say its organizers, Olga Severina of PosterTerritory and Oleg Veklenko of The 4th Block.

Focusing on these calamities and the combined effect they’ve had on the planet at large, “the posters are not just exposing a world in distress,” they are looking into the future, searching for a path to a better world—a world without these and other seemingly inevitable disasters.

“The environment is always changing, but there are certain pivotal moments in human history that leave a permanent scar on the world,” and drastically alter humankind’s relationship with the planet and with all other living things.

Here’s more about Severina and Veklenko’s respective organizations:

The 4th Block is a graphic designer’s exhibition, held every three years in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The exhibit takes its name from nuclear reactor number 4, which was destroyed in the devastating explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986. The 4th Block posters explore the latest trends and innovations in environmentally conscious graphic designs and promote personal and social changes that are mindful of the natural world.PosterTerritory is a multimedia platform that organizes poster campaigns in cities around the world. Founded by an exhibition curator and graphic artist Olga Severina, PosterTerritory launches international poster exhibits that tackle a variety of social, political and environmental issues faced by humanity on a daily basis. The World After is the latest project by PosterTerritory, where graphic artists from all over the globe imagine what the world will be like after the COVID pandemic.

The initial run of “From Chernobyl to COVID-19” was up through April 9 in conjunction with Missouri State University.

The latest episode (No. 49): “The To-Go Cup for a Better, More Sustainable World.”

Here’s more from the Design is Everywhere team:

In this episode, Sam learns more about the NextGen Consortium to address the world’s single-use food packaging waste. In 2018, Closed Loop Partners launched the NextGen Consortium to bring together leading brands, industry experts and innovators. Sam chats with Kate Daly, the managing director for the Center of Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners, who explains what a circular economy is and how the Consortium gleaned consumer insights for better designs. Later on in the show, they are joined by Chris Krohn, who is a portfolio lead at IDEO, which is running and designing the pilots in the San Francisco Bay Area on behalf of the NextGen Consortium. Chris explains the process of redesigning reusable to-go cups and the concepts that came out of the NextGen Consortium.

The latest episode (No. 48): “Launching a Movement: Graphic Design for Social Change.” (Recorded live.)

Here’s more from the Design is Everywhere team:

In the first of our monthly Design is Everywhere live shows, Sam Aquillano learns how designers can be agents of change through their work. He is accompanied by Yvette Perullo, co-author of Renourish: Sustainable Graphic Design in Practice, and co-founder and partner at Re-nourish, a nonprofit that works with designers to understand and advocate for design decisions that center people and the environment. Later on in the show, they are joined by Jessie McGuire, managing director at brand design studio ThoughtMatter. Together they discuss her experiences designing for socially progressive causes while spearheading creative projects, and her best advice for designers who want to do similar work, before taking questions from the live audience.

Graphic artist Reyna Noriega, in partnership with the washable and reusable diaper brand Esembly, created a beautifully illustrated zine with advice, essays, and interviews called Arrival. All proceeds from the sales of go to supporting Every Mother Counts, a non-profit organization devoted to improving access to quality, respectful, and equitable healthcare to decrease preventable maternal mortality. Others contributing work to the zine include Celine Semaan, Eden Grinshpan, Djali Alessandra Brown-Cepeda, Dr. Harvey Karp, and Domino Kirke-Badgley.

Arrival is available now for $5, as well as special-edition diapers and accessories. We talked to Liz Turrigiano, co-founder and CEO of Esembly, and artist Reyna Noriega about the zine.

How did the project come about?

Liz Turrigiano: I was first introduced to Reyna’s work in January of 2020 and knew that I wanted to collaborate with her in some capacity. Screenshots of her art lived on my desktop for six months before we finally figured out the best way to showcase her talent. We knew intuitively that her designs would look gorgeous on fabric for our product prints—diapers and storage bags— and that her strong and vibrant aesthetic would bring our Zine, Arrival, to life. It was important to myself and my team to create a resource for moms that was encouraging as they navigated the balance of identity as a new parent, one that was visually compelling rather than a 101 pamphlet. We really wanted to excite our community, and we knew Reyna’s work aligned with that mission. She was our number one pick for this collaboration—so we reached out, and the rest is history.

Reyna Noriega: I was approached by ladies at the No. 29 agency about a possible print pattern collaboration and was super excited about it. At the time, I felt I hadn't used my talents enough in that way— I really enjoy seeing my work as wearable art. We then discussed a zine to accompany the print designs and, although I am not a mother, I have seen close up all the complexities of postpartum life and knew how impactful that could be.

Why was creating a zine for new mothers about postpartum important to you?

LT: Becoming a parent is a journey that is both beautiful and chaotic. Some people transform into their new roles with ease, while others struggle to find their way. My first pregnancy left me feeling lost. So many voices were in my ear talking about how I would change and my priorities would shift. I became afraid of losing myself in motherhood, and that anxiety carried into the postpartum period. It really depleted me. I would have benefited tremendously from a zine-like Arrival that helps women navigate this wild time while remaining true to themselves and their values.

What goals did you want to accomplish with the Postpartum?

LT: Our ultimate goal at Esembly is to bridge the gap between parenting and environmental responsibility through something all parents have to deal with: diapering. With Arrival, we wanted to extend that conversation and bring in figures we admired in both the birth and postpartum space with authentic narratives and insight.

Our goal is to engage more parents when it comes to discussions around identity, values, and sustainability—and how with the right tools and support, none of those things need to be compromised when you become a parent.

Also, 100% of Arrival’s sales go to Every Mother Counts, so we really want to get this zine in front of as many eyes as possible to raise money for an incredible international organization.

Were there any unique challenges or significant hurdles, creatively or otherwise?

RN: Translating my work into a print pattern that was abstract but still reflected my style was a bit challenging. I had to make decisions on what aspects to keep, and which took away from making the design something that would appeal to mothers, work for children, and feel unisex.

What was the most interesting thing you learned? Was there a significant takeaway from the project?

RN: The complete body of work—the print collaboration with Arrival—consisted of so many illustrations that needed to fit together seamlessly and accentuate the patterns. Although challenging, it was so great to see it all together. Often, a project I work on has such a short turnaround. I don't get to really bask in it or nurture it. That wasn't the case here, which felt really special.

Your new home away from home …

On June 1, 2017, then–United States President Donald Trump announced that our nation would cease all participation in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation.

In August 2018, then–15-year-old Greta Thunberg began a school strike for climate. In the three weeks leading up to the Swedish general elections, she sat outside Parliament every school day, demanding urgent action on the environmental crisis.

The action inspired a movement called FridaysForFuture (#FridaysForFuture) and encouraged other young people all over the world to join them. This marked the beginning of the global school strike for climate.

In time for today's historic arrival of NASA’s Perseverance Rover on planet Mars, FridaysForFuture has released “1%”, a “luxury market” advertisement for an exclusive heavenly new life on war-free, crime-free, pollution-free Mars, developed with FRED & FARID Los Angeles, to awaken the 99% of the human demographic who have no choice but to remain on old planet Earth.

Let’s face facts. A growing desire to escape to a new Eden and rebuild a better world is not a dream. There’s a movement gaining momentum, and billions of dollars are being spent. As NASA’s Perseverance Rover touches down on Mars, it joins the U.A.E.’s Hope orbiter and China’s Tianwen-1 orbiter and rover duo. It’s unmanned rovers for now, but humans are coming. Elon Musk is confident that SpaceX will land our species on the martian surface in just five years, by 2026—welcome news for billionaires looking for more space and bitcoin investment opportunities.

And the rest of us? Well, Soylent Green for dinner again tonight, honey?!

FridaysForFuture reminds us: “No one is swooping in to save us … we must save ourselves. We’d better fix climate change, we’d better take action, now. We simply have no choice.” Let the “1%” have their own planet. Let’s fix ours.

The latest episode (No. 41): “Redesigning Care for Everyone.”

Here’s more from the Design is Everywhere team:

How can we design a better care system that relieves a family’s stress and gives patients the healthcare they need?

In this episode, Sam is joined by Patrice Martin, CEO and co-founder of The Holding Co, to learn how design is being incorporated in the care system. The current care system overburdens caretakers. But how can the future of care change? Patrice discusses the Care 100, a list of people reimagining the system. Later on in the show, Sam and Patrice interview Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, CEO of Wellthy. Together, they discuss how the care system benefits from good design, how the concierge system gives families the help and resources they need, and the role technology can play on the care-taking grunt work, giving room for human connection.

Listen here:

The latest episode (No. 40): “Sourcing Sustainable Materials: LIVE at the Workplace Innovation Summit.”

Here’s more from the Design is Everywhere team:

What is the importance of sustainable design materials in the workplace?

During Design Museum Everywhere’s Workplace Innovation Summit in December, Sam chatted with Nicole Schmidt, the CEO at Source, the world’s largest commercial construction product database. Here, Nicole discusses how she uses her design background to lead her efforts at Source and the value of material transparency. Together, they dive into the benefits of healthy sustainable materials on productivity and wellness. Later on in the show, they are joined by Carissa Mylin, a senior interior designer at SERA Architects, who shares the resources and tools designers can use to make healthier design decisions for the office and home.

Teetertotter Wall by Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello with Colectivo Chopeke is a set of three bright pink teeter-totters snaked across the USA-Mexico border between El Paso and Cuidad Juarez. Border security and immigration policy has always ignited debate on both sides, only becoming more intense as twice impeached President Trump made erecting a fortified border wall, paid by Mexico, a major campaign promise. When the Teetertotter Wall was finally deployed in 2019, that promised wall was still more hateful fodder than actual reality.

Though the timing might seem like a jab at the outgoing president, it was conceived in 2009 and took a decade to execute. The border wall is meant to separate folks with similar cultures and backgrounds, people divided only by laws and by force. The pink teeter-totters proved more powerful by bringing together Americans and Mexicans on either side, united in joy while also divided by the hate of others.

Beazley Designs of the Year exhibition will be held virtually until March 28th, 2021, due to UK COVID restrictions currently in place.

Originally launched in 2017 as a research project to rebuff the stereotype that millennials are entitled and lazy, the show explored the generation’s optimism, resilience, embrace of diversity and more.

Now, Millenniheirs has expanded its concept and approach with season two, which launched in December. We’ll let the following delightfully collaged GIF explain:

As ThoughtMatter writes, “Generational stereotyping and griping is so 2008. It’s a pivotal time for us to get past cultural divides and build trust between generations.”

How has that manifested?

Teachers from multiple generations discussing work in the classroom.

ThoughtMatter · Talk Less, You’re Going to Hear More

A Gen Z-er and a baby boomer discussing the miasma of misinformation.

ThoughtMatter · In Information We Trust?

A discussion featuring members of the food and beverage industry on post-pandemic distribution models.

ThoughtMatter · On Connection In The Absence of Intimacy

Multigenerational voters debating how to rebuild the American economy.

ThoughtMatter · Nothing Moves Unless Power Shifts

Two more episodes in the season are forthcoming—and we can’t wait to hear what bridges they build, and what insights they incite.

Check out the full series here.

]]> 759 https://www.printmag.com/brand-of-the-day/brand-of-the-day-nowa-clean-design-for-an-eco-friendly-cleaner/ Wed, 13 Jan 2021 06:00:29 +0000 http://brand-of-the-day-nowa-clean-design-for-an-eco-friendly-cleaner Thankfully, the world is finally moving toward innovative, environmentally friendly production methods and packaging, and more and more products are being created with eco-friendly ingredients.

With NOWA, the Montreal-based company manages to tick every single one of those boxes.

NOWA’s household cleaners are focused on healthy living—for both users and the planet. The product—made with natural plant and mineral-based ingredients—arrives via a concentrated, super compact, ready-to-dilute bar. It’s 100% vegan, cruelty free and recyclable.

To bring their ethos to life and to market, NOWA brought on Comme Pas Deux.

“Our mission was to enhance their growing collection with a timeless visual identity and sustainable packaging, offering a beautiful sensory experience,” Comme Pas Deux writes. “The packaging aims to represent a light lifestyle that helps communicate the brand's organic approach. We have selected a palette in pastel neutral tones to allow the brand to stand out from its competitors. The origins and values of NOWA come to life thanks to a symbol combining Montreal architecture and its eco-friendly consciousness. We also have developed custom patterns to distinguish the different fragrances of the brand by illustrating elements specific to each of them.”

The result is a beautiful and minimalist design that leaves a mark on the mind—instead of the planet.

]]> 758 https://www.printmag.com/brand-of-the-day/brand-of-the-day-kolatch-tuba/ Mon, 04 Jan 2021 07:33:52 +0000 http://brand-of-the-day-kolatch-tuba Dessert in a tube might not sound like the most exciting thing on the planet—but ultimately, it’s dessert that’s great for the planet, and Michal Slovák’s branding is the proverbial cherry on top.

Kolatch Tuba comes in a variety of flavors, sans artificial ingredients, and is produced in aluminum tubes—which can be recycled indefinitely.

As for the packaging, “With the choice of fonts and colors, we managed to create the impression of a sweet dessert at first glance,” Slovák says, “without banal and overworked pictures of fruits or nuts.”

Rather, he focused on color to reflect individual flavors, and utilized handlettering as a messaging tool.

“It evokes a feeling of creaminess free of unnecessary descriptors,” he says. “This results in a clean layout that communicates the premium category of the product.”

We’d give it a squeeze. Check out more of Slovák’s work here.

]]> 786 https://www.printmag.com/brand-of-the-day/brand-of-the-day-eat-offbeat/ Tue, 15 Dec 2020 06:00:26 +0000 http://brand-of-the-day-eat-offbeat As we sit mired in the awfulness of the pandemic and so much of 2020 at large, we’re grateful when we come across something like the startup Eat Offbeat—a proverbial light in the dark, providing sustenance in more ways than one.

Co-founded by Lebanese immigrant siblings Manal and Wissam Kahi, Eat Offbeat began when Manal found herself in search for some off her favorite foods from back home—and “realized the former refugee communities that have resettled in New York are an extraordinary and largely untapped source for incredible cooking.”

The siblings partnered with a Michelin-starred chef, and now bring extraordinary food from around the world via catering and meal boxes created by former refugee and immigrant chefs that the initiative recruited and trained. The company thus aims to share extraordinary food that is “off the beaten path” to so many Americans, with cuisine hailing from Afghanistan to Venezuela to Sri Lanka and back again.

Natasha Jen and her team of Jonathan Katav and Diego Prestes created the identity and brand ecosystem, based on two goals from Eat Offbeat—to broaden its offerings from catering to individual customer meal kits, and to “to recenter the brand positioning to a more aspirational narrative, without losing the humanitarian aspect of its business model,” Pentagram writes.

“The brand strategy highlights Eat Offbeat as a unique and adventurous choice that expands palates with new tastes—and with a feeling of family, togetherness and home. This is captured in the positioning, which describes the company’s offer as ‘Global Homecooking’—bringing the best global home cooking home to you.”

For the type, Pentagram turned to Type Type, and the foundry’s TT Trailers Bold and TT Commons. For the mark, Jen and co. focused on visually depicting the notion of migration, with a well-defined sense of motion. The color palette, meanwhile, hints at the marvelous hues of the many countries and dishes represented, and breaks flags down into a simple system.

Meanwhile, “All of the dishes include a description and a photo of the chef who prepared them, in keeping with the company’s mission to ensure that the chefs are being represented, can take pride in their own work and are part of the consumer experience.”

All told, it’s a dose of well-needed nourishment, indeed.

]]> 906 https://www.printmag.com/design-thinking/design-is-everywhere-revolutionizing-buildings-for-communities-and-the-environment/ Thu, 03 Dec 2020 07:40:52 +0000 http://design-is-everywhere-revolutionizing-buildings-for-communities-and-the-environment PRINTCast: The PRINT Podcast Studio is a curated collection of cutting-edge podcasts we love about design, creativity, branding, books, and further subjects afield. Soon, we’ll have a dedicated digital listening room. In the meantime, we present Design Museum’s Design is Everywhere, hosted by Sam Aquillano and Liz Pawlak—a “podcast featuring stories of people and organizations using design to make an impact and change the world.”

The latest episode (No. 33): “Building Material Transparency.”

Here’s more from the Design is Everywhere team:

In this episode, Sam is joined by Ren DeCherney, business development manager at the International Living Future Institute, to learn how designers are revolutionizing the way that buildings are built to make them healthier for communities and the environment. Later on in the show, Sam and Ren interview Lona Rerick, an associate principal at ZGF Architects. Together, they discuss how designers can incorporate tools like Declare to make healthier and more sustainable products in their designs, and the future of sustainable practices for businesses and communities.

]]> 931 https://www.printmag.com/design-thinking/seedpod-accelerating-scalable-sustainability-solutions/ Tue, 17 Nov 2020 09:17:48 +0000 http://seedpod-accelerating-scalable-sustainability-solutions PRINTCast: The PRINT Podcast Studio is a curated collection of cutting-edge podcasts we love about design, creativity, branding, books, and further subjects afield. Soon, we’ll have a dedicated digital listening room. In the meantime, we present Seedpod from host Lee Rael—“a podcast dedicated to the people shaping our world through entrepreneurship, sustainability and design.”

The latest episode (No. 98): “Peter Schelstraete: We have all the solutions.”

Here’s more from Rael:

This weeks guest Peter Schelstraete is the co-founder and CEO of UBUNTOO, a technology startup whose mission is to accelerate scalable sustainability solutions and innovations by providing a digital platform for global visibility and collaboration. The Ubuntoo platform connects innovators and industry leaders to collaborate on solutions and technologies in support of the UN SDGs, starting with solutions to end plastic waste and pollution.

Previously, Peter was at the Coca-Cola Company for 19 years’ tenure, where he held a variety of high profile roles, including CMO for the Asia Pacific region.

Being a true world citizen, Peter has lived and worked in four continents. He has a Master’s degree in Commercial Engineering from the University of Leuven, Belgium, and also holds a Postgraduate Master’s degree in Business Management from the University of Montpellier in France.

I was inspired by Peter's positivity, enthusiasm and drive to effect real change in our world. He has a huge wealth of knowledge in many areas of the sustainability sector and I see his platform making a massive contribution towards shifting the world towards a more sustainable one.

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