OUR PROCESS
Everything in our world – from nature to culture to business – is designed.
And where we have failed to design, we designed for failure.
Design is a methodology for action
If you’re unhappy with accidental and failed outcomes and want to achieve targeted and positive results, design empowers you to envision a better future and execute a plan to realize your vision.
Human-centered design won’t solve today’s challenges
For more than a century, however, human-centered design has been our dominant innovation process. It’s based on the false premise that we can control nature to make the world a better place for humans. We’ve solved many of humankind’s greatest challenges, but ignored the consequences and implications of our inventions. That approach to innovation is no longer sustainable.
Practically everything is going to change
This is the biggest opportunity in history. Businesses that understand the urgency and innovate in a new way that both grows profits for their organizations and benefits our ecosystem will thrive in this new era.
Life-centered design will get you there
Our life-centered design approach to solving complex challenges is grounded on the fact that we are part of a larger ecosystem and everything we do has implications. When we work with you, we consider context and scale, account for economic, ecological, and social consequences, and practice empathy to realize your greatest ambitions for your organization and help save the planet.
OUR TOOLS
Bruce Mau’s 24 Principles For Designing Massive Change
Bruce Mau has distilled 30 years of experience as a design innovator into his MC24 Massive Change design principles. We use the MC24 principles as a toolkit in working with clients to plan for strategic impact, create value, inspire massive optimism, and accelerate movement towards sustainable change.
HOW WE WORK
01 LISTEN AND EXPLORE
We can’t change what we can’t see. Our rigorous discovery process illuminates the myriad forces that contribute to complex problems and reveals your biggest opportunities for impact, innovation, and transformation.
02 BUILD A DREAM TEAM
Higher order challenges demand interdisciplinary teams. We work with great people – designers, strategists, writers, artists, and scientists across a broad spectrum of expertise – to design beyond boundaries.
03 COLLABORATE
Collaboration gets buy-in. Working closely with our clients supports a collaborative process of innovation, engages internal and external stakeholders, and leverages institutional knowledge to maximize value.
04 ITERATE AND RE-ITERATE
We’re known for designing things that haven’t been done before. When we start a project, we don’t have the answers. We find a path forward by framing the problem, developing hypotheses, creating prototypes, testing, and refining.
05 EVERYTHING COMMUNICATES
Our creative branding brings your vision to life. We define the language, visual style, communication channels, methods, and creative approach to get your vision noticed and create excitement.
06 IGNITE A MOVEMENT
You can’t force others to share your vision, but you can inspire them to support it. We design manifestos, workshops, and experiences that engage and align audiences, build momentum, and embed the vision in your culture.