What Design Can Do

🌍 What Design Can Do México GNP 2024 returns later this month — and this edition promises to be a very special one. Join us on 27 September to explore the power of play, collectivity, and collaboration in tackling the world’s most urgent challenges, together with leading designers like Cas Holman, Gabriel Fontana and Ronald Rael. Get your tickets for #WDCDMXGNP2024 here: https://bit.ly/4dMBL26

"I’m trying to redesign our relationship with the things that heal us." With her research project #CoculturingRituals, designer namita bhatnagar is looking at how synthetic biology can help us grow our own remedies. By combining microalgae and bacterial cellulose, Namita has created a photosynthetic material known as #Biosoothe, which can transmit oxygen directly onto our skin. This means it could provide us with a wide range of benefits and applications: "One of my hypotheses is that it could be good for skin repair. And not just in skincare, but also for wound healing." We caught up with Namita during the #RedesignEverythingChallenge Sprint to learn more about how it all works — read the interview on our blog today: https://bit.ly/3ABdI7q ☘

Being an independent creative can be a lonely pursuit. You always benefit from some advice and a sense of community from other designers, but finding these peers can sometimes be difficult or daunting. As an organisation founded by designers, we know this feeling all too well—which is why we continue to run our #DesignersforDesigners online peer-to-peer coaching sessions together with Designplatform Rotterdam. Our next online session is taking place at 17:00-19:00 CET on 28 August 2024. If you’d like to join us, you can find tickets here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eTt2cE7x

"Most people in New York City don’t even know that there were oysters here, and that they’re gone, or that we’re working to restore them. I think within our community of volunteers, Reef Rockets offer an image of hope." 🌊 Reef Rockets are #biocement structures that mimic natural oyster reefs to protect shorelines, filter seawater, and boost biodiversity. Grown using plant-based enzymes and crushed shells, this material solution offers a cleaner, cheaper, and more durable alternative to industrial cement, ideal for supporting reef restoration efforts around the world. To learn more about the story behind the design, we caught up with creator Mary Lempres during her visit to Amsterdam last July. Read all about her vision for ReefCycle, her #RedesignEverythingChallenge win, and how she's tapping into nature’s genius — here: https://bit.ly/3YMGrAm

“I started The Revival out of frustration and the pain that we have to deal with waste we didn't create.” Today, we’re very happy to share an interview with the extraordinary Yayra Agbofah, who became a winner of the #RedesignEverythingChallenge with his project, THE REVIVAL. 🌻 This community-led organisation is addressing the problem of textile waste in Ghana through upcycling initiatives that integrate education, awareness, art, and job creation. In just a few years, they have already diverted over 1 million second-hand garments from landfill (!) while educating thousands of people on the impacts of waste colonialism. Click here to read more about Yayra’s journey so far, the community of makers he works with, and his vision for the future of fashion. → https://bit.ly/3SToDQ9 📸 : The Revival, Anisa Xhomaqi.

Designing great user experiences has always been at the heart of Momkai’s work as a creative agency, but the word “user” doesn’t quite cover their approach to building communities. 👫 ✨ Instead, the word “member” feels a much better match for the types of projects they support — from award-winning websites like De Correspondent, to ground-breaking initiatives like The School for Moral Ambition. In 2022, they took things one step further and launched a platform called Memberful Design, which exists to show how designers can “adopt the power of the collective.” During a breakout session at #WDCD2024, we were introduced to the principles behind the philosophy by Momkai's own Lotte Bloem, Alex van Straaten and Henrik Porciks. Keep reading for essential highlights from the hands-on workshop, which took place in the beautiful foyer at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ. 👇

New on the blog is a beautiful article by guest writer Teresa Carvalheira, who joined us for the #CraftingTomorrow breakout session at #WDCD2024. In it, she details her experience of the sensory workshop, which featured embodied activities led by culinary artists Melissa Korn and Maureen de Jong, moderator Barbara Vos and Willemien Ippel of The Linen Project. Visit the link below to read up on what she describes as a "rather digestive" afternoon exploring how cultural, traditional and industrial processes affect every aspect of our lives, from how we eat and how we dress, to what we choose to remember. 🌾✨

"A sense of belonging is essential for a society because it contributes to its resilience. It impacts the abilities of cities, communities and groups to deal with challenges and crises. But what happens when there is no sense of belonging, when so-called ‘belonging uncertainty’ is present? Can people can affect their relationships to their environment by creating interventions, changing, forming or designing?” On the blog this week, guest writer Kübra Terzi shares her report from the #WDCD2024 breakout session, #BelongingBeyondBorders. Tap the link below to read more about the spatial and social design frameworks we explored during this workshop, which was moderated by researcher Shay Raviv and featured a lively discussion with Lyongo Juliana of lyongo architecture. 👏

At #WDCD2024, participants of the breakout session 'The Re-generation: Manifesting Climate Futures Beyond 2050' came together to imagine a future that is optimistic and exciting. One that addresses the climate challenges ahead, but that we would also actually enjoy living in. Together, we explored creative pathways to turn our feelings of urgency into agency. Design researchers Sophie Tendai Christiaens and Katy Barnard from Stby, together with Temporality Lab founder Gustavo Nogueira de Menezes, guided participants in co-creating visions for the upcoming decades. ⁠ Natsai Audrey Chieza, a renowned figure in biophilic design and the founder of Faber Futures, also joined the session to shed light on the way she deploys new technologies and life-centred solutions with a big focus on local community and collaboration. As part of the #NextGenDesign programme, this workshop aimed to inspire young designers to embrace and promote sustainable design in Europe and beyond. Thank you to all who joined us – and keep reading on the WDCD blog! 👇

We're hiring! What Design Can Do is looking for a talented and ambitious Grant Writer/Manager to join our team in Amsterdam. In this position, you will identify and research potential funding opportunities, lead the development of high-quality grant proposals and concept notes, manage the entire grant lifecycle from initial application to reporting and close out, measure the effectiveness of fundraising activities and track progress towards revenue targets, and more. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dhHCUEry