Design 21: Activism Through Design.
Heard of Design 21?
DESIGN 21 is a Social Design Network aiming to inspire social activism through design. They connect people who want to explore ways design can positively impact our many worlds, and who want to create change here, now.
Social Design Network is itself a collaborative project undertaken by the global design and merchandise company Felissimo and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, better known as UNESCO.
The partnership between Felissimo and UNESCO began in 1995 with the DESIGN 21 Award, an international design competition created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. DESIGN 21 grew into a biannual event that brought together the work of young designers and students alongside established names and exhibited the results around the world.
In 1997 Felissimo established the Tribute 21 Plate program with UNESCO, which brings artists, designers and celebrities together to create decorative plates, the proceeds of which are donated to charity. Celebrities such as Julia Roberts and Cindy Crawford and world renowned designers such as David Rockwell and Christian Lacroix have designed plates for this project. To date, Tribute 21 has raised over $800,000 for charities worldwide. A portion of funds is also donated to UNESCO to help fund the construction of DREAM Centers in post-conflict regions with artistic programs (DREAM stands for Dance, Read, Express, Art, Music) that allow children to express themselves in a protected environment. Established locations include Kabul, Phnom Penh, Port-au-Prince and Monrovia, Liberia with a center in East Jerusalem underway.
UNESCO’s mission is to provide educational opportunities to people worldwide, to make scientific and technical knowledge available to developing countries and to promote cultural understanding among different people. Felissimo wanted to address this effort through a shared online platform and to do it through the medium of design. So the collaboration between Felissimo and UNESCO began anew, and this site, DESIGN 21: Social Design Network, was born.
What do we want? Social Design!
Q: What is Social Design?
A: It’s design for the greater good.
We want to use the power of good design for greater purpose.
We believe the real beauty of design lies in its potential to improve life. That potential first manifests itself as a series of decisions that result in a series of consequences. The practice of social design considers these decisions on a greater scale, understanding that each step in the design process is a choice that ripples out into our communities, our world and our lives. These choices are the result of informed ideas, greater awareness, larger conversations and, most importantly, the desire to do good. Social design is design for everyone’s sake.
Why should our company join DESIGN 21: Social Design Network?
Being a member is great for your company:
- In one central location, DESIGN 21 will keep your company in the know about how people everywhere are using design to make a difference.
- Giving your company a presence on DESIGN 21 demonstrates your support of social design in this new forum that is the resource for social design today.
- DESIGN 21: Social Design Network is the first of its kind to offer companies a number of benefits in one location. The website is a place where corporations can talk about the work that they do, connect, interact, share and participate in the key venues of the Network.
