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Design for Planet is our mission.
It’s a call to action.
Design for Planet provides a platform for visionaries who are leading the way in design and climate action, and support for everyone to prioritise the welfare of our planet in their work.
We hope it drives a movement because it’s fuelled by the belief that we can be more powerful together.
In recent years, we have spent much time as an organisation reflecting on our efforts to promote equality, diversity and inclusion within design, to make lives better for all. Shocked by the traumatic deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in the US, and the increasingly visible unequal impact of Covid-19 on Black communities, we – like many organisations – formed a group of colleagues to consider our response.
Reflect on why Black Lives Matter matters to us, both personally and as an organisation that represents a practice that has the power to shape the world, its values and how we behave together within it. This involves creating safe spaces* for everyone to reflect on their own advantage and experience, and support each other to be more inclusive in every everyday action.
Expand and strengthen the external statement about equality, diversity and inclusion that we use, for example in job adverts and partnership agreements.
We have hosted a series of three events where Black designers showcased their work and led conversations around design for inclusion and equity, across graphic, UX, product, social and urban design.
We have launched a programme on employee health and wellbeing with Impact for Urban Health and an initiative to address inequalities in physical activity for Sport England, using co-design to improve outcomes for specific groups including Black communities; we’ve started training on inclusive environments with Network Rail. Meanwhile our ‘Design, differently programme with The National Lottery Community Fund and Local Trust is working with ‘hidden’ designers in communities, amplifying their work and democratising design.
Our flagship research programme, Design Economy 2021, has diversity at its heart, and this has been reiterated by all stakeholders in our engagement webinars.
Created a 'Conversations with Black Creatives' event series exploring insights from individuals and black-owned businesses. (Recordings of these sessions can be found below).
Championing design
By providing evidence of its value, increasing understanding and use of design, sharing inspiring examples of great design, and creating the right enabling conditions for designers to do their best work.
Providing skills, tools and knowledge
For how to design well, for designers and those who commission them.
Working in partnership
With national organisations to develop their design understanding and skills, and embed design in everything they do. We also create and deliver design-led projects with partners to deliver positive change.
“Design is what links creativity and innovation. It shapes ideas to become practical and attractive propositions for users or customers.”
"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
“To me, what makes something design is that it is functional. It is meant to be used. It is meaningful in the sense that it evokes cosmologies”.
"Good design is the critical step that takes ideas with potential from the incubator and sets them on the path towards reality."