Who knew that that old adage, “it takes a village” to be so darned true? I am encountering this over and over in my work and personal life, regardless of the size of endeavor. Now that I am a convert, I see a village everywhere I look. Need help? Ask your community. Have too much? →

Few people would think of a shower as a tool to inspire and empowering the developing world, yet this is exactly the approach my student design team took in the slums of Chile and Argentina. During the summer of 2009, twelve students from varying disciplines (graphics, environmental, product design and graduate film) were selected to →

Nothing exists outside a relationship. Everything is related in the working systems of nature, economics, or package design. A designer that does not take into account the effect delivered works will have on users, resources or society, depletes the designs potential and future viability. Systems Thinking requires that we develop the awareness and skills to define and design the functional relationships, which reduces waste and enhances, yield from existing relationships.

Restore. Restoration. A Restorative Culture. These are terms commonly used in the field of permaculture, especially in relation to soil and water ecology as many plants are used to restore soil health and revive natural ecological function. The word recycle is also commonly used, but I would argue, not accurately used in the context of →

What is it like to design for the developing world – to try to create products that will help to lift people out of poverty? In many ways, it’s just like any other design challenge, the difference being that your client may have radically different constraints than you’re used to, and perhaps you’re unfamiliar with →