As designers, we are not set apart from systems of inequality, acting from the outside in. We shape and mold; we create cause and effect.


Immy Robinson, an Innovation Lead at British charity Shift Design, speaks on what can be done to generate and multiply power through community relationships.


From this article, you will learn how to design with communities and not just ‘for’ them.

2020 was a year of many reckonings. A global pandemic amplified and exacerbated the many forms of inequality we see in our communities—racial, economic, health and cultural. We saw, with renewed clarity, the crucial role everyday relationships play in shaping our wellbeing. Designers of all persuasions have worked to adapt their craft, responding to the changing world around them.

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Now, as we allow ourselves to imagine a world post-Covid, we must remember what didn’t work before: the unfairness, the waste, the version of society that fell short. We must embrace this window of opportunity and strive to build a world that is more equitable, more equal, and more just.

Design is not neutral and designers, by virtue of their role, have significant power. Through design, we impart a world view, a perspective, a set of experiences, a set of biases. How we approach design and the values we put at the heart of our process determines the impact we have. As designers, we are not set apart from systems of inequality, acting from the outside in. We shape and mold; we create cause and effect.

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As the saying goes, with power comes responsibility, and this is where ethics comes in. Design can and must play a role in building a better future. So, as designers, we must consider carefully how we wield power, what we use it for and—crucially—how we redistribute it to tackle inequality.

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Power moves through networks and is generated through relationships—between individuals, communities, organisations and institutions. Power is multiplied and shared through a web of sincere and meaningful relationships. To design in ways that seek to multiply and redistribute power, we must put relationships at the centre.


This has been the focus of my work at design agency Shift, co-leading the development of the Relationships Project. Our mission is to make it easier for organisations and services to put relationships at the heart of what they do. The community of practice we’ve fostered around the Relationships Project’s mission is forging a new field that puts ethics front and centre for design.

Intro

Power beyond the pandemic

Introducing relationship-centred design

1. To

2. For

3. With

4. By

Intentions and practice