At a time when the world is faced with rapid and dramatic changes in the economy, technology, and global communication, design can be a powerful agent for positive change.

The SEGD Annual Conference and Expo will be taking place June 2-5, 2010. This year’s theme is Designing Change/Changing Design, which will aim to encourage and inspire a movement of design for social change, as well as shift the approach of the design community towards global problems. Learn more about the conference »

New design approaches must be sustainable both economically and environmentally, must embrace our cultural and economic diversity, and must be accessible to all.

The leading innovation firm Ideo has put together this informational how-to guide (118 pages) and hands-on workbook (40 pages) outlining their ideas and insight into designing for social impact. I found these materials both interesting and informative on how to develop meaningful projects, re-strategize my process, and lead my intentions into successful outcomes.

The guide begins by describing ‘What is Design for Social Impact?’ and is then divided into the following three sections:

• Design Principles
• Modes of Engagement
• Inspiration

The workbook is intended to be used along with the guide as a general framework to help define one’s own process in creating design for change. It is divided into:

• Goals
• Tools
• Plans

These materials contain a vast amount of ideas and exercises, and certainly not all of it is applicable to every design firm or project, however it is a great source of inspiration to get ideas flowing towards design for positive social impact.

Download here:

• Design for Social Impact Guide (pdf)
• Design for Social Impact Workbook (pdf)

ThinkSocial is a new non-profit initiative dedicated to advancing the use of social media in the public interest. They recently announced the three winners of the new ThinkSocial awards, “recognizing three outstanding examples of innovation, featuring – an individual, an initiative and a collaboration between institutions, which together represent powerful models for how social media can be used to address global problems.” –ThinkSocial

The winners are:

• Kiva.org: a peer-to-peer micro-lending web site, enabling entrepreneurs in developing countries to receive loans from lenders around the world.
• SocialVibe: helping brands direct a portion of their advertising budget into branded activities on social media platforms.
• The March 18th Movement: Mideast Youth seeks to expand the world’s understanding of bloggers as de facto journalists, and extend the protections normally accorded to journalists to all those who share information and stories of repression and corruption online.

A special commendation award is also being presented to:

Amanda Rose: the founder of Twestival Global and Local, which is a concurrent series of offline events for charity, organized by volunteers in cities around the world via Twitter.

Learn more about ThinkSocial »

Facebook is leading new initiatives towards promoting peace by using technology as a mechanism towards positive change. They are helping people to connect and better understand each other through social networking.

View the Facebook Peace Site »

1. Good time management

We all know how difficult it can be to balance work, family, exercise, personal time, etc. It may seem daunting to add something else to the list, but even just a few dedicated hours a week can make a successful pro-bono project. You need to decide how much time out of your work day or personal life you can commit. Stick to that number, even if a project takes a year.

2. Not over-committing

The quickest way to kill a pro-bono project and ruin your enthusiasm is to over-commit. Create a project schedule with milestones and stick to it. I’ve found that I can always commit five hours a week. Oftentimes I do more, but I never commit to more. You must be clear with the organization exactly what they can expect when. Also be sure to keep close track of your hours.

3. Choosing the right organization

It is important to work with an organization that you feel passionate about their mission. This passion will make your project exciting and inspiring. Get to know the people of organization. Not only will it make the project more rewarding, but you will make great connections, new friends, and become truly invested in the organization. It is easy as a designer or developer to just work virtually on a pro-bono project. If possible, I strongly recommend meeting face to face.

4. Utilizing creative liberties and doing your best work

It is easy to do a mediocre job on a pro-bono project because you aren’t getting paid and the organization is likely appreciative of whatever you do for them. However, mediocre will not be fulfilling. You have to take the project to its extreme. Pro-bono projects often give you complete creative freedom and you can use this opportunity to create award-winning work.

5. Communication and patience with the organization

Most organizations are different to work with than a typical client and its also a different relationship with no money involved. It is very important to communicate clearly and explain everything. Non-profits are a very passionate and often opinionated group of individuals, yet they may know little to nothing about the design process. Another hindrance can be that everyone in the organization has an equal say in the decision making process. Be patient. Everyone is always happy in the end.

Tracking Suppression of Online Free Speech

“Online journalists and bloggers now represent 45% of all media workers in prison worldwide.”

Global Voices Advocacy has just launched a mapping project called Threatened Voices in order to help track the increasing cases of bloggers being threatened and/or arrested for expressing their views and reporting news online. Many governments are cracking down on bloggers through surveillance, various forms of harassment and arrest. The goal of Threatened Voices is to make these cases visible, and therefore help keep freedom of speech alive on the internet. The website includes an interactive map and timeline providing a clear visualization of threatened bloggers throughout the world.

View Threatened Voices »

“We envision a select group of 60 designers, change leaders, NGOs,
foundations and experts coming together to engage actively in
opportunities to demonstrate design thinking in crafting solutions
for large social problems, as well as to use existing networks and
programs to accelerate change.”

The impressive list of attendees of the Aspen Design Summit next week will be collaborating to come up with design solutions and create concrete two-year implementation plans for 5-6 new projects. The themes include poverty, health care and education and collaborating organizations include UNICEF, the Mayo Clinic, and the Center for Disease Control. The Summit will include considerable dialogue and discussion of role of the design industry in leading social change initiatives. The goals of the event are ambitious and promising, and I wish I could be there. Hopefully its outcomes will be visible in the near future.

Learn more about the Aspen Design Summit »

“The PopTech Accelerator facilitates interdisciplinary,
world-changing projects that use new tools and embody
new approaches to significant global challenges.”

PopTech Accelerator has taken an active leap in the creative use of technology to help discover solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems. I am very inspired by their collaborative approach and definitely looking forward to seeing the outcome of their projects. Hopefully other innovative thinkers can gain insight from PopTech’s approach to process, and we will start seeing more projects transforming world-changing ideas into action in the near future.

Learn more about PopTech Accelerator »

Project Masiluleke

PopTech Accelerator’s first project, Masiluleke (”helping hand” in Zulu), recently launched it’s first phase in October by sending out 1 million text messages. The project’s goal is to fight the HIV epidemic in Africa through innovative mobile technology and software. The intial focus is on KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, where HIV+ rates are some of the highest in the world. They plan to eventually spread the program throughout Africa. Project Masiluleke is a collaboration of frog design, Pop!tech, iTeach, Praekelt, Aricent, Nokia Siemens and others.

Learn more about Project Masiluleke »

Go Pro-Bono.

This is an era of meaningful actions, helping others, and contributing to make the world a better place. With organizations popping up such as the Taproot Foundation, volunteer design work is becoming more organized and more common. A strong online presence is an integral component for non-profits with ongoing fundraising campaigns, and many organizations are lacking in this area. There is a high demand for professional high-quality design services at a free or very inexpensive price.

Why Pro-Bono Is Worth It.

You are Making a Difference

You’re contributing to an important cause and acknowledging it’s important. If every creative professional completed one pro-bono project, the non-profit world might receive the recognition and resources they deserve. It is integral for non-profits to employ strategic marketing methods in order to be successful in this highly technological era. They will never have the means to pay a high-end firm to do this, therefore they desperately need you .

It Feels Good

Pro-bono work can be some of the most fulfilling projects of your career. You will likely feel passionate about the work and it always feels good to help something in need. You will feel useful and very appreciated.

You Can Do It From Home

For many people, they don’t have any extra blocks of time to schedule more activities. However, they might be able to fit in an hour here and there. Pro-bono is flexible. Make it happen wherever you can fit it in.

It Feeds Creativity

Many organizations give you complete creative liberties as they feel anything is better than what they currently have. This freedom can allow for inspiring and cutting-edge work. It also can be invigorating if your day job is draining your creativity.

You Make Great Connections

Many people in the non-profit world are passionate and inspiring. Get to know them.

Get Started.

The Taproot Foundation

• Well-organized pro-bono placement organization.
• Managed like a typical agency project.
• Work with a diverse team of professionals.
• Schedule and time-line management.
• I’ve had great experiences with Taproot.

Idealist.org

• Lists hundreds of non-profits around the world.
• You can search in your community or work virtually.
• Search for keywords ‘graphic design’ or ‘web design’ to find loads of organizations in need.
• I‘ve also had good experiences with Idealist.

Designism Connects

• Listings of non-profits in particular need of design skills and/or projects.
• There are a ton of projects listed here for a wide variety of skill sets.

Design 21 – Social Design Network

• Great portal for social design inspiration and networking.
• Projects for involvement listed under ‘Act’.

Or contact any non-profit of interest. I bet they need you.

Stay tuned for a follow-up article containing Valuable Advice for Pro-Bono Success.