Design and social change

Posted by Erin Collett on 2 December 2011 | 0 Comments

Tags: social change, design

Design has a part to play in influencing social change

Consider, if you can influence a person by as little as one degree, the difference can be significant if they walk far enough.

"Design matters, like never before. Designers create so much of what we see, what we use, and what we experience. In this time of unprecedented environmental, social, and economic crises, designers will choose what their young profession will be about: inventing deceptions that encourage overconsumption -- or helping repair the world. Today, everyone is a designer. And the future of civilization is our common design project."
Do Good Design: How Design Can Change The World, David B. Berman

Design that influences social change aims to create beneficial designs that:

• are affordable and sustainable, sometimes made of renewable materials
• use energy from renewable sources and even increase energy efficiency
• reduce consumption and waste, being reusable or recyclable
• are produced and developed locally
• are universally accessible to people of all ages, abilities, and physical conditions
• are developed as an initiative with participation of the communities they serve
• facilitate mobility, communication, and participation in civic life, even decentralize political power and facilitate transparency and accountability.

Think about the United Colours of Benetton, which strongly promotes cultural and racial diversity through their advertising, their design influences social change.

United Colours of Benetton is not a charity – however their advertising rarely includes or highlights the products they sell, yet their brand and sales remain strong. Their brand takes a stand for social change and their customers respect them for it. Typically you would see this type of advertising solely from non-for-profit organisations. Many not-for-profit organisations can be used as examples of design that influences social change such as PETA, movember (mens health), beyond blue, WWF, RSPCA…

A great initiative is the 'Design ignites change program' that promotes and supports the importance of design in development work. It encourages creative professionals to engage in multidisciplinary projects that address pressing social issues. Participants are encouraged to apply design thinking to problems that exist in their own communities’, take a look here for ways that design can influence social change.