DesignWISE – creating without having a harmful impact

DesignWISE peeks into a new era in which we not only design solutions but take action to safeguard the very conditions that make life possible.

Design is often created through a linear process that begins with an idea and ends in a finished result. DesignWISE explores what happens if the designer instead approaches the process as a cycle, without primarily seeking to achieve a given goal through each individual choice. The project explores the design process itself as a means of creating a connection – to ourselves, one another and our shared planet.

The project builds on a 360-degree approach inspired by a planetary design mindset, systemic leadership and insight from indigenous traditions of wisdom. The method is structured around eight phases that provide scope for changing perspectives and allowing the design process to move from the intimate to the planetary sphere; from short-sighted to multi-generational perspectives; from acting to sensing.