SfP example initiatives

The Council for Higher Education in Art and Design (CHEAD) are mobilising their 70 member universities to upskill students with green design skills. So far [insert number] members have committed to do so, together resulting in a projected XXXXX of budding designers upskilled by 2030.

Students are the designers of the future. It is vital that higher education provides students with green design skills, so that they can enter industry with the ability to design for planet. 

With 70 member universities, CHEAD has a huge role to play in influencing design higher education to teach students green design skills as a default, rather than an exception.  

We have worked with CHEAD to develop resources that help universities embed the Skills for Planet Blueprint and its 18 green design skills: 

1. Learning Outcomes: we co-created a set of learning outcomes with representatives from University of the Arts London, De Montfort University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, University for the Creative Arts, Bath Spa University, University of the West of England, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Sheffield Hallam University, translating the Blueprint into educators’ language.   
2. Embedding Criteria: we have also drafted a set of criteria to help universities understand what ‘embedding the Blueprint’ might mean in their context. 

As universities beginning embedding the Blueprint across their design courses, we will collate example briefs, assessment criteria and other resources for educators. 

Bath Spa University (BSU) is the first university in the UK to commit to embedding the Skills for Planet Blueprint across its design courses, starting with its ‘Introduction to Design Practices’ first year undergraduate module in September 2025. By 2030, we expect that approximately 800 budding designers graduating from BSU will possess the critical green skills needed to design for the planet.  

The School of Design at BSU is committed to deeply embedding designing for the planet into design education, through its curriculum, short courses and skills development.  

The Skills for Planet Blueprint will be embedded into all aspects of BSU’s design provision by 2030, from Architecture to Product Design, Creative Computing to Graphic Design, Fashion and Textiles to Interior Design, and Cyber Security to Computer Science.  

Partnering with BSU is a fantastic opportunity for the Design Council to better understand how the Blueprint is applied in practice in a Higher Education setting. We can then share these learnings with other universities and institutions, enabling more students to benefit from green design upskilling. 

The Design Compass is a free, interactive tool developed by Bang Creations. It integrates content from the Skills for Planet Blueprint directly, providing a seamless experience for designers and guiding them not only to make more sustainable decisions but also to identify and develop the skills they need to achieve them. 

Created over more than a decade and refined with input from academics and industry specialists, the Design Compass provides designers with practical guidance on how to develop projects and make better decisions, balancing marketability, environmental sustainability and social responsibility. 

Most designers want to design in a way that is socially and environmentally conscious, yet on the job there are other pressures to contend with, such as project deadlines, commercial viability and the client’s needs. 

Bang Creations acknowledges these competing pressures and presents designers with a tool that can help: the Design Compass. What is brilliant about the Design Compass is that it intelligently provides guidance that facilitates real-world impact, rather than offering theoretical solutions. 

The Design Compass can be used by designers in industry or budding designers at universities. The basic version is available now for free. An upgradeable Ai Design Assistant is to follow. 

Access the Compass today 

 

Pearson provides world-class learning experiences and assessments. They are committed to building a design education curriculum that encourages curiosity and creativity, giving students the skills needed to tackle complex, environmental challenges. By 2030, their design subjects are expected to upskill [insert number] students with green design skills. 

Possessing the skills needed to design for the planet starts in school. We cannot expect the design sector to have a solid pipeline of innovative, green skilled designers if we do not invest in equipping young people with green design skills. 

Pearson has already started the important work needed to imagine a new future for design education. Now, they are furthering their ambitions by developing practical resources that will help GCSE Art and Design teachers embed the Skills for Planet Blueprint into their teaching.