LCD Weekly Issue - 030 -LCD Lens
⛰️ Words from the mountains
When I started exploring Life-Centered Design back in 2020, this was one of the first visualizations I made. I love making sense of complex things with the use of visuals. My thinking was as follows:
I remember reading a lot about ecosystems on LinkedIn back then, but something was missing. The ecosystems discussed here were always related to human/ business sites or digital ones.
And I thought, what about nature and biological ecosystems? Most sustainability conversations within a business or work context exclude nature.
I started thinking of combining the relationship between biological, human, and digital ecosystems (image 1) and how the last two have been increasingly pressing on nature and planetary resources.
Image 1
Image 2
So, I visualized a world (image 2) and made the human and digital ecosystems grow exponentially over time (centuries, decades, and years), shrinking the biological ecosystem until it is crushed.
The visual has been very insightful to me and others, like Cathy Brett, who recently brought to my attention how it helped her create a context for the need for Life-Centered Design approaches that take nature and underrepresented communities into account from the start.
How do you make sense of the world regarding sustainability and your work/ business?
🐅 LCD in the Wild - Future Observatory Journal
Future Observatory Journal is a biannual online journal on design, ecology and futures.
"Our aim is to create a space for rethinking the frameworks within which design operates. Published by Future Observatory, the Design Museum's national research programme for the green transition, the journal aims to expand the often narrow scope in which design and 'sustainability' are discussed."
"Pushing at the edges of the social and economic imaginary, we see alternative futures in today's emergent design practices. They are not wildly speculative, but challenging and hopeful, suggestive of a future you might look forward to. Hence our strapline: Design, ecology and a future."
🪄 Inspiration- When the Earth Started to Sing- Audio Story
Our team member Anneke shared this beautiful audio story by David G. Haskell a couple of weeks ago.
"This sonic journey written and narrated by David G. Haskell brings us to the very beginning of sound and song on planet Earth. Spoken words and terrestrial sounds bring us into unexplored auditory landscapes, tuning our ears to the tiny, trembling waves of sound all around us. How did the vast and varied chorus of modern sounds—from forest to oceans to human music—emerge from life's community? When did the living Earth first start to sing?"
🔥 Hot in the School - Shifting from Human to Life-Centered Design Fundamentals Course.
Next week, we're starting Cohort 5 of our signature course, Shifting from Human to Life-Centered Design. If you're ready to transform the way you design, we'd love to have you join us! There are only a few spots left.
Through the course, you will master:
Understanding the Systems of Life
Gain an understanding of the ecosystem of your design projects. Learn how to map and assess relationships within the living system and identify areas for improvement, approaching it with a life-centred mindset.
Co-Design with Life
Learn how to collaborate and design with nature and marginalized communities. Gain confidence in prototyping for exploration to help you reframe your design questions.
Bring Designs to Life
Get the skills and tools to measure impact and create sustainable value. Become comfortable bringing sustainability and life-centered design to the conversation with your colleagues, leadership, and clients.
Our schedule flows like this:
We have a weekly online session every Friday for seven weeks, starting on October 11th and closing on November 22nd, from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm CET. We use Zoom and Mural for the sessions. In addition, you will have access to the course's online environment, which includes all the modules, resources, information, and inspiration. If you miss a session, we upload the recordings every Monday so you can catch up. Furthermore, you can schedule additional calls if you need extra support for a missed session.
Payment options:
We offer two payment options: before the course starts and halfway through. If you have another proposal, please let us know. We want to make this workshop available to anyone interested!
Scholarships: We have four scholarships for every cohort. This scholarship covers 60% of the tuition fees. Right now, there are three scholarships up for grabs!
Reimbursement options are possible; we can work with your company to enroll you!
Want to join the course?
If you need more information, please reply to this email, or we can schedule a quick call if you prefer.
That is all for this week! See you next Monday!
Jeroen
