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“The majority of the world’s designers focus all their efforts on developing products and services exclusively for the richest 10% of the world’s customers. Nothing less than a revolution in design is needed to reach the other 90%.”
—Dr. Paul Polak
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About

Design Impact is a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower communities affected by poverty to design and implement life-improving solutions.

Our hypothesis: By working closely together, design and the social sector can incubate and implement new ideas to changes lives.

Our methodology: Work with a non-profit organization and the community they serve to design a solution that addresses an urgent need, such as better access to potable water, education, employment, or safe environments. Design is used as the major catalyst between the idea and its implementation.

The experiment: Since September 2009, we have worked with the Organization for Action Development and Maintenance (ODAM) in Tamil Nadu, India. When we asked if and where design solutions may be appropriate, we were met with a flood of ideas. Working in partnership with ODAM, we decided that the best places for us to focus our efforts would be on two projects, charcoal briquettes and fair trade soap. For more information on these projects, see blog posts “Soap from Seeds” and “Pressing Needs”.

Currently we’re working closely with ODAM and other partners to get these projects off the ground and into the community. In addition, we’re documenting our process--and the vast learning that accompanies it--with hopes to scale our methodology and bring more social sector designs to fruition.

Core Values

  • Local participation, leadership, and ownership
    To create a solution that represents local community values, the design process must be guided, informed, and owned by end users.
  • Collaborative and diverse partnerships
    Integrating multiple economic, geographic, and cultural perspectives allows for stronger solutions and a healthier global community.
  • Environmentally and socially sustainable solutions
    Identifying the most appropriate solutions requires consideration of social, cultural, and environmental impacts from the project's inception.