What do single use surgical instruments for the global market, social housing in Chile, and waste management in Bangalore have in common? When we set out to define what Helsinki Design Lab means by "strategic design" we knew that it would require illustrating our ideas with concrete examples, but none of us expected an initial group of case studies this diverse.
Unifying these projects is the ability of the teams behind them to work between different scales of their respective challenges, coordinating discrete decisions in a way that created opportunities to impact entire systems. We've started with three case studies but want to grow the library. Perhaps you have some ideas?
Can the specific architectural decisions of a house help lift its future residents out of poverty? Can something as basic as the material choice for a surgical tool improve patient outcomes? In the course of writing these case studies we found that the answers is yes! Talented designers are finding themselves increasingly able to tackle strategic questions and deliver measurable improvements for clients ranging from individual citizens, to global corporations, and government ministries.
Helsinki Design Lab wants to see more designers able to work at this level, more success stories, and more governmental clients benefitting from strategic design.
I'll let Marco follow up with a more complete introduction Helsinki Design Lab later this week, but for now "tervetuloa" and please enjoy our new site.
This site came together through the fantastic and speedy work of XOXCO and Rumors during the last six months, as well as early conversations with BERG on a fine September day, and a stellar visual identity courtesy of TwoPoints. Thanks everyone!
FREE BOOK Including an introduction to strategic design, a how-to manual for the HDL Studio Model, and practical examples.