In the fall of 2014, I was introduced to a new(ish) model of design, called social design.
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Social design is different than traditional graphic design, where clients order a thing and a designer makes that thing. Through social design, a designer immerses him- or herself into the community and seeks out problems that are worth solving. Designers practicing this method use their design skills to directly impact lives, work to solve socioeconomic problems, and create relevant work rather than to churn out endless amounts of ephemera.
Examples of design studios focusing on this type of work are Project M, Very Nice, and Fabrica, among many others.
Recently, some of you have asked me about freelance design work, and I have declined — partially because: grad school / wedding planning — but mostly because I don’t want to do that kind of work anymore. Thanks to some of the wonderful people I’ve been exposed to in grad school (namely Bernard Canniffe, Alex Braidwood, John Bielenberg, and Ryan Clifford), I’ve decided to take my career in a different direction: Rather than pushing pixels around for a living, I want to use my design skills to make a difference in this world.
I know that sounds cliché, but it’s true.
The upcoming posts are about how I plan to start making this difference. Stay tuned!
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