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The Right to Protest: the exhibition navigating counter-culture through archival activist design

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With a collection dating back to the 1960s, the Museum of UnRest is displaying it’s archive of iconic screen-printed posters, marking the struggle against climate breakdown, the cost of living crisis, housing shortage, and more.

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The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals set out in 2015 are designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all". Goal 12 is to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. But what do we even mean by the term 'sustainable'?

We all sort of know what it means, but it's remarkably hard to put it into words. The overarching definition (also written by the UN) is:

"Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

But how do we put that into practice? What does that mean for design and development? How do we make our products more 'sustainable'?

Clients coming to Morrama have differing thoughts on the matter. For some, reducing polymer consumption through plastic-free solutions is top of the agenda. For others, it's about ensuring their products are locally made, or switching to recyclable materials. These all seem sensible steps towards being more sustainable to me. But is one better than the next?

Ultimately there is no one size fits all solution to sustainability and understanding the context is vital. Whilst plastic is clogging up our oceans, using very low energy plastic films to reduce food waste in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are causing devastating global warming is surely a good thing.

About a third of all the world's food goes to waste, and producing, transporting and letting that food rot releases 8-10% of global greenhouse gases. (The Guardian)

What about a brand selling reusable stainless steel bottles in an effort to reduce our consumption of single use plastic bottles? It certainly requires much more energy to produce a stainless steel bottle than a PET plastic bottle from the supermarket. How can a brand be sure that a consumer is going to use it enough times that it will actually be better for the environment? Well, they can't, but it's up to us as designers, producers and business owners to work out the numbers as accurately as possible, and then share them with our consumers.

Only by being honest with our stakeholders, our customers and - most importantly - ourselves, can we collectively work together to make a difference.

This word 'honesty' is something that the industry has been severely lacking in over the past decade when it comes to sustainability. Greenwashing has become a marketing tool and has served to do nothing but confuse consumers. We've been told to believe plastic is solely responsible for climate change, that water bottles are OK now because they are made from 100% recycled PET and don't get me started on tote bags.

HDPE bags are, for each use, almost 200 times less damaging to the climate than cotton holdalls favoured by environmentalists, and have less than one-third of the Co2 emissions than paper bags which are given out by retailers such as Primark.

The following document will explain the thought, considerations and often the compromises needed to steer a product trajectory onto the path of becoming more sustainable; showing there is never just one method of making a product sustainable. It is a mixture of different choices and strategies - adapted for each and every product, user and context.

We didn't say it was going to be easy...

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Sustainability and impact driven research, tools and resources for those involved in the design and production of physical things including carbon reduction and circular economy principles.

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Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

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A round-up of all D&AD Awards Black, Yellow, Graphite and Wood Pencil Winners.

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Cannes Lions, Dubai Lynx, Eurobest and Spikes Asia Winners & Shortlists | The Work

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Discover the winners and shortlists from the Cannes Lions, Dubai Lynx, Eurobest and Spikes Asia awards.

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Notion – The all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases.

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A new tool that blends your everyday work apps into one. It’s the all-in-one workspace for you and your team

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Design Declares is a growing group of designers, design studios, agencies and institutions here to declare a climate and ecological emergency. As part of the global declaration movement, we commit to harnessing the tools of our industry to reimagine, rebuild and heal our world.

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How to Build a Circular Economy | Ellen MacArthur Foundation

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Help build a circular economy: a better system that can help fight climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Explore the solutions for businesses today.

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At this time of rising awareness and great world challenges, there are many voices rising from the design world calling for the expansion of human-centred design to include the environment, entire product lifecycle (from material extraction to product discard and breakdown), and the people impacted by that lifecycle.

This is known as life centred design, planet centred design, and 21st-century design, among other terms.

Life centred design is still emerging, and various approaches have slightly different focuses-some are all about sustainability, while others also aim for inclusivity and diversity.

One significant contribution to the evolution of life centred thinking is Bruce Mau's 24 Principles for Massive Change, shared via his big, bright, uber-pink book MC24.

Bruce Mau is a well-known contemporaryCanadiandesigner, innovator, and educator. He leads the Massive Change Network, a Chicago-based consultancy exploring global innovation and sustainability and served as the founder of Institute Without Boundaries.

In his beautifully designed book, Mau shares his learnings from 30+ years of applying design to architecture, art, museums, film, eco-environmental design, education, and conceptual philosophy. Structured into 24 principles for massive change toward a more sustainable and just world, these principles challenge today's design practice, and they can be applied as advice on design, business leadership, and personal development.

I created this help sheet for myself as a reference, as I found every time I wanted to refer to the principles, I needed to re-read them-there is so much to each one, more than a short summary can capture.

Bruce Mau's 24 Principle for Massive Change

1. Design is leadership: First inspire, Lead by design-By envisioning the future and working to manifest it, design is leadership by inspiring behaviours (not just motivating); and the process of design can be a template for leadership (analyse, envision, prototype, test, iterate)

2. Begin with fact-based optimism-Take a realistic yet balanced perspective informed by validated information, to identify and pursue the brightest opportunities

3. Always search for the worst-The worst problems can have the biggest opportunities for positive impact and change

4. Seeing is believing: Quantify and visualise-most things, from behaviours to attitudes to moods, are now measurable, so we should design ways to monitor the complexity of data of the impact of our designs to share in visual and relatable ways

5. We are not separate from nature-Recognising humans and nature are just different parts of one 'life' energy, that recognising this de-centres us from our priorities to connect us more deeply to nature, to embrace the massive change that a maintaining of this perspective will bring; and to remember that designing impacts nature which in turn impacts humans

6. Design for the Power Double Double-Considering that human population is growing faster and faster (quantity), the more we make information and tools more accessible to diverse experiences (capacity) means the more opportunity we have for innovation

7. Think forever: Design for perpetuity-Design not just to do less harm, but to produce additional benefits that enable regeneration of the ecosystems that our designs touch

8. Design your own economy-the design of experiences and things effectively allocates resources, which influences the economy, so we must consider the part our designs play in larger systems, from the beginning (how can we minimise the extraction of materials by reusing, refurbishing and recycling or products?) to the end (how can our product waste become a resource for something else?)

9. Sketch: Hey Everybody, let's fail!-Produce and test ideas early and often to learn and iterate fast and efficiently

10. Think like you are lost in the forest-Always be looking for opportunities in constraints, even when everything seems fine

11. Be whole-brain creative: it's a talent and a skill-Balance the innovation of science with the inspiration of art and beauty

12. Compete with beauty-Acknowledge the power and importance of aesthetics as a signal and motivator of the extraordinary and delightful

13. Design for all the senses-Bring designs to life by thinking beyond the default mono-sensical, and engage all the senses where you can ("start by closing your eyes")

14. Rise above the noise-Stand out from the overabundance of options and information by designing solutions with clarity and purpose

15. Design for the time of your life-Realise that designing experiences is designing how people use their time, that time is irreplaceable, and so we should design experiences as rich and rewarding as we can

16. Design the difference, not the object-Humans are wired to notice change, 'the difference', but the excitement of a change fades, so a design must be able to read, respond to, and reinvent itself so it remains visible

17. Design the platform for constant design-Expand the goal from creating just the one ideal solution to creating a constant iteration of improvement

18. Scale for impact-While designing for various individual experiences, we must also be aware of the growing population and classes, and consider our design's impact on societies and the environment when billions use it

19. Design the invisible-Design for the entire end-to-end lifecycle of a product or service, all those aspects that remain unseen by users-from material extraction to the waste and landfill produced-by fusing its form with its function within the wider system (this seems to contradict #12, Design for Beauty, but I imagine we should design for the invisible first, let that shape the form, then make that form as beautiful as we can)

20. Design the new normal-Use emotion to normalise the unusual to shift behaviour

21. Design what you do to tell your story-Know the values you are designing to represent, and ensure the design process and use of the solution foster those values, by being transparent and accountable

22. New wicked problems demand new wicked teams-Classic models of the design process, thinking, and education need to be more collaborative and co-creative, decentering the individual designer and fostering appropriate collaborative skills (listening, empathy, etc.)

23. Those who teach get out there and do-Doing is teaching, teaching drives us to refine what we do, and a commitment to teaching is a commitment to creating the most positive impacts

24. Work on what you love-Love what you do, keep looking for what excites you every day when you wake up, and then protect and nurture that so its excitement protects and nurtures you back

Each principle in the book is an inspiring section of insight, so I cannot stress enough how they need to be read in their entirety. Buy the book here if you can spare the money (not an affiliated link), and consider it an investment, as much of these insights reflect the current direction of design thinking as it adapts to these challenging and volatile times. I just believe the more designers are exposed to this thinking, the more designers from every level can infuse their work with sustainable, regenerative, and socially just considerations.

And feel free to share back your own interpretations from the book as you will no doubt have your own thoughts!

For life-centred tools to experiment with, check out my Holistic Design Toolkit.
Damien Lutz is a UX Designer and mentor, and the creator of the Future Scouting design game, guidebook, and tools. Follow Damien here on Medium.

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Bruce Mau's 24 principles for life-centred design

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At this time of rising awareness and great world challenges, there are many voices rising from the design world calling for the expansion of human-centred design to include the environment, entire product lifecycle (from material extraction to product discard and breakdown), and the people impacted by that lifecycle.

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Discover the IDI AWARDS 2023 WINNERS. The IDI 2023 Award winners exemplify the best of Irish design and provide designers with a platform to showcase their talents, benchmark against their peers and provide inspiration for all. The 2023 projects truly shows the impact of Irish design on business, culture and creativity.

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Bruce Mau's 24 Principles of Design for Transforming the World

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Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) - a professional gathering of the world's leading graphic designers

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Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) is a professional gathering of the world's leading graphic designers

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We use cookies to enable website functionality, understand the performance of our site, provide social media features, and serve more relevant content to you. We may also place cookies on our partners' behalf to help us deliver more targeted ads and assess the performance of these campaigns.

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Home - DEPT®Full service digital agency - Pioneers at heart

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DEPT® is a full service digital agency with expertise in experience, engineering, growth marketing, and creative services.

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AKQA is an ideas and innovation company. We exist to create the future for our clients

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GDC } Visual Inspiration - DEMO Festival 

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GDC } Visual Inspiration - DEMO Festival 

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Design in Motion is an initiative celebrating the finest motion design from the finest studios, finest designers, upcoming talents and art academies around the world.

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GDC } Context - Lecture: Elizabeth Resnick, curator of 'Women's Rights Are Human Rights'

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GDC } Context - Lecture: Elizabeth Resnick, curator of 'Women's Rights Are Human Rights'

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Virtual Lecture: Elizabeth Resnick, curator of "Women's Rights Are Human Rights"

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#30 — Rejane Dal Bello on her new book Citizen First, Designer Second — Made By Folk

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Join us for a chat with award winning Graphic Designer & Illustrator Rejane Dal Bello. She tells us more about her new book Citizen First, Designer Second and her writing and design process. More at — rejanedalbello.com

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GDC } Inspiration - Canne Lions Winners 2023

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GDC } Inspiration - Canne Lions Winners 2023

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Explore the Lions and discover the shortlists and winners from 2023.

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The best creative deserves its own space

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GDC } Resource - RSA Student Design Awards useful resources

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GDC } Resource - RSA Student Design Awards useful resources

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A collection of resources to inform, inspire and challenge your thinking.

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Useful resources | Student Design Awards

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A collection of resources to inform, inspire and challenge your thinking.

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Design for Good is an initiative to build and sustain the implementation of design thinking for social change. This platform creates opportunities for designers to build their practice, their network, and their visibility.

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Design for Good is an initiative to build and sustain the implementation of design thinking for social change. This platform creates opportunities for designers to build their practice, their network, and their visibility. Design for Good recognizes the wide range of designers' work and leadership in social change which benefits the world, our country, and our communities. By connecting and empowering designers through online networking tools, inspirational stories, chapter events, training, national advocacy and promotion, Design for Good serves as a powerful resource for designers who wish to work in this area and a beacon for designers leading the charge. AIGA Seattle is taking this national initiative head on!

Local Programming & Events

The Changemaker Series unites teams of creative professionals with nonprofits and social change organizations to use design thinking, sustainable frameworks and creative tools to help advance their mission. Join us as we continue a program of networking, workshops and collaborative problem solving all focused on this year's theme: IMMIGRANTS & REFUGEES. Learn more →

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Design for Good is an initiative to build and sustain the implementation of design thinking for social change. This platform creates opportunities for designers to build their practice, their network, and their visibility. Design for Good recognizes the wide range of designers' work and lea...

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D&AD Impact celebrates creative ideas that are driving the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

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D&AD Future Impact identifies and celebrates creative ideas that contribute towards a better, fairer and more sustainable future for all.

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GDC } Visual Inspiration - Typographic Posters 

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GDC } Visual Inspiration - Typographic Posters 

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Since 2008, a reference platform for typographic and graphic posters.

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GDC } Visual Inspiration - MOVING POSTER

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GDC } Visual Inspiration - MOVING POSTER

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GDC } Context - MADE THOUGHT - A PLASTIC PLANET

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GDC } Context - MADE THOUGHT - A PLASTIC PLANET

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A PLASTIC PLANET
REPRESENTING AND REFRAMING THE PREDICTABLE CONVERSATION AND AESTHETIC AROUND SUSTAINABILITY TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO SEE AND THINK DIFFERENTLY.

A PLASTIC PLANET’s single aim is to ignite and inspire the world to turn off the tap of plastic. It’s a brand all about possibility and a promise of a plastic free future for food and drink packaging. MORE

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MADE THOUGHT – A Plastic Planet — Brand Creation & Sustainability

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A detailed look at the creation of the brand for A Plastic Planet

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GDC } How to meaningfully incorporate motion into branding, with DIA, Studio Dumbar/DEPT® and Connor Campbell

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GDC } How to meaningfully incorporate motion into branding, with DIA, Studio Dumbar/DEPT® and Connor Campbell

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As the framework of brand identities continues to evolve, we're seeing more and more studios using animation to bring their work to life. Designing for digital spaces is now an integral part of the branding process, as internet traffic is increasingly consisting of video content - from Tiktok's boom in popularity and Instagram's annoying prioritisation of video to digital ad spaces and web-based campaigns. The medium can add emotion, expression and dynamism that can't always be achieved by static means. To find out more about this topic, we spoke to three leaders in motion design - DIA, Studio Dumbar/DEPT®, and Connor Campbell - who revealed how they make animation an integral part of a project, so it's actually part of the identity system, and not just something stuck on at the end.

Studio Dumbar/DEPT® are no strangers to motion design, having adopted it seamlessly into their practice. As lead designers Christopher Noort and Stan Haanappel explain, "the studio considers motion to be a vital part of contemporary brand design." For the Rotterdam-based design agency, movement is "considered a fundament of expression" from the start of the design process in much the same way as typography, colour and composition - core elements of effective and emotive design. DIA's Mitch Paone concurs, "we integrate design and motion entirely into one process." For the NYC and Geneva-based branding and graphic design studio, motion is there "right from the start" and a foundational component of their approach - as the team specialises in kinetic identities and typographic systems. "Corporate branding work primarily lives in digital and time-based formats," he points out, therefore motion is central to the design experience. This is reflected in one of the studio's favourite sayings: "Time is Form, Form is Time," in other words, "Design is Motion, Motion is Design."

Some of the freeze-frame moments in a rough motion exploration can lead to creative routes within the static identity.

From leading his London-based experimental motion design studio, Connor Campbell observes that many clients often don't share this viewpoint. "We get to focus solely on the motion element," he notes "but often identities we've been briefed on have motion as an afterthought, as opposed to being a part of the design process from the early stages." A major downside to this, as Campbell highlights, is that it loses the potential of some exciting discoveries in the identity's development. "When motion is there from the outset, some of the freeze-frame moments in a rough motion exploration can lead to creative routes within the static identity." This is one reason why Campbell believes getting a motion designer in at an early stage "will always lead to much more interesting outcomes."

When connecting design and motion, Studio Dumbar/DEPT® hold the viewpoint that creative collaboration "from the first sketches onwards," is key. "The visual designers, motion designers, and creative coders bring in their own input, work together on concepts, and borrow from each other's ideas," Noort and Haanappel tell us. This introduction of motion into the early stages of the process, therefore, allows more time for development, refinement and experimentation. Sharing the same viewpoint as Campbell, the Rotterdam-based agency believes "motion should enhance communication, rather than feel like an afterthought."

Hiring animators to animate design does not work.

Paone explains why animating 'as an afterthought' doesn't yield the best results, going one step further to discuss the skillset required. "Hiring animators to animate design does not work because the design work is still being developed from a static mindset." For true integration, he suggests that designers become fully immersed in the theory of motion, whilst developing "extensive" technical skills in the software, particularly Cinema4D and After Effects. "Also, Cavalry, Houdini, TouchDesigner, and skills in creative coding are very beneficial," he adds. With practice, Paone tells us, the fusion of animation and design becomes more natural and familiar. Studio Dumbar/DEPT® have embedded this into their own practice by organising 'The Group' - "bi-weekly dedicated hours to experiment, learn and enjoy motion design outside the context of work for clients." These allotted sessions give the design team the space and time to learn, try new software, and get comfortable with the concepts and theory.

With design being more digital than ever, there are numerous benefits of motion in an identity system. In Paone's opinion, traditional choices such as photography, illustration, and art direction are "short-term brand assets." He emphasises that as time and trends pass these elements will evolve too, making them better suited for advertising campaigns rather than foundational elements of a brand identity. "What should remain constant is the frame where everything lives." Motion creates tremendous amounts of expression and provides the emotional touch that static elements can't. "Also, it makes production much more efficient where renders and stills can be quickly generated from toolkits, whereas illustrations need to be done by hand." Although, Paone speculates, this could change with the evolution of AI in the future.

Studio Nari and Connor Campbell Studio

Motion should be meaningful.

Looking at the future of branding and 'future-proofing' identities for clients, not just the studios that created them, Campbell finds that there is something to consider in generative software, as well as the realm of possibility software provides. "Motion is also becoming more intertwined with creative coding," Campbell notes, "where custom browser-based web tools can be handed over to clients, allowing them to make real-time motion assets of their own within the constraints of the tools provided." As examples, he mentions Kiel Mutschelknaus' work for Spotify 'Wrapped' or Hudson-Powell's work on the recruitment tool Canvas. "With tools like this, an identity doesn't have to stay fixed in one single state for the rest of its life and maybe we're eventually getting to a point where an identity is never just one mark, but takes many forms."

Whatever the future leads, Noort and Haanappel explain that Studio Dumbar/DEPT® have - and will always - stick by their philosophy: a strong and lasting identity should be powerful, simple and pure. "Technology influences the way brands communicate, which is slowly moving to a purely digital realm. This allows motion design to be more present in telling a brand's story and become a tool that can enhance visual communication." However, they conclude with an important reminder. "This doesn't mean that everything should always move - motion should be meaningful."

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As the framework of brand identities continues to evolve, we're seeing more and more studios using animation to bring their work to life. Designing for digital spaces is now an integral part of the branding process, as internet traffic is increasingly consisting of video content - from Tiktok's boom in popularity and Instagram's annoying prioritisation of video to digital ad spaces and web-based campaigns.

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GDC } How designers can help brands to stand out by tearing up the rule book

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GDC } How designers can help brands to stand out by tearing up the rule book

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How designers can help brands to stand out by tearing up the rule book

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How designers can help their clients to stand out by tearing up the rule book.