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DDW: Dutch Invertuals examines our eco-centric future

Expedition Æqualis by Dutch Invertuals, Eindhoven

Eindhoven – At Dutch Design Week 2022, design collective Dutch Invertuals exhibited its ongoing research project, Expedition Æqualis, at a dinner hosted in collaboration with The Future Laboratory and Philips' design principal of foresight, Reon Brand.

The exhibition, which runs from 22 to 30 October, explores how design can be used to transition towards an eco-centric future that aims to rebalance society’s relationship with nature by putting planetary needs above human needs. Eight designers created tangible designs that examined themes relating to interspecies biodiversity, adaptive gender tropes and eco-material innovation.

Alongside the exhibition, which invites visitors to challenge their own relationship with nature, Dutch Invertuals hosted a dinner with guest speaker Kees Klomp, professor of applied science at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Klomp’s research suggests a future in which cross-sector pollination can aid biodiversity through collaboration and creativity, presenting the evolution of economics in four stages: neo-classical economics, which values externalised profitability; environmental economics, which embraces sustainability; ecological economics, which embeds circularity into its model; and existential economics, which embraces thriveability for people, planet and profit.

Explore the eight design projects in our Dutch Invertuals round-up, to be published next week.

Strategic opportunity

Taking cues from Patagonia recently making nature a key stakeholder, how can businesses broaden their definition of success to include planetary rights?

DDW: Design Academy Eindhoven’s radical explorations of critical topics

Holtland by Annelien Gispen. Photography by Iris Rijskamp, The Netherlands

Mono Do (A) Wear by Josefine Andersen. Photography by Nicole Marnati, The Netherlands

Eindhoven – After a year of virtual showcases, Design Academy Eindhoven returns to the city to present its 2022 graduation show during Dutch Design Week. Renowned for its forward-thinking students, the school’s work examines critical matters such as environmental crises, accelerating technology, and new understandings of identity and belonging.

While the designers aim to ignite debate on a range of key topics, such as ecological democracy and extreme consumerism, they also illustrate tangible solutions through the physical executions of their projects. Take Holtland by Annelien Gispen, an educational board game designed to make people aware of the ways forests develop and the importance of nature and biodiversity. In the Monopoly-style game, players compete not to own the most properties on the board but to instead grow the largest, oldest and most biodiverse forest. By embedding education in a leisure activity, Gispen hopes to encourage shifts in attitudes and behaviour towards green life, particularly among the younger generation.

Elsewhere, Josefine Andersen is interrogating the world of mass-produced goods. Mono do (a) wear is a series of sustainably produced domestic objects that can also be worn as clothing, including a coat that can be worn by a person as an insulator and accessory, but can also be used to dress a cabinet. Through the creation of these hybrid products, Andersen invites people to develop more meaningful and purposeful relationships with their belongings, thus encouraging more controlled purchasing habits.

The work from Design Academy Eindhoven spans a range of design disciplines including social design, contextual design, geo-design and information design. You can browse the full portfolio of projects here.

Strategic opportunity

The design industry is currently isolated from policy- and decision-makers, and creativity is not a core part of these critical conversations. It’s important for businesses to create an open dialogue with this community as their thinking is key to world development and change

Haeckels takes products off the shelves for Black Friday

UK – The eco-friendly skincare brand Haeckels is adopting a radical Black Friday strategy, forgoing profits altogether instead of offering discounts. The brand will offer use of its retail spaces in Margate and London to small independent businesses.

‘We’ll take all our products off the shelves and offer our stores to help amplify and promote those making a difference, pushing boundaries and creating change,’ reads the brand’s announcement on Instagram. Haeckels will provide participating brands with retail space, marketing, workshops for business-owners and access to its network. The company has set up an open application form and invited its community to tag and suggest their favourite small brands and artists.

A growing number of brands are deconstructing the commerciality of Black Friday each year and skipping the deals. Haeckels’ community-first initiative is taking the commitment to anti-consumerism further – making space for those creating change rather than pushing their own products. The activation strengthens Haeckels’ Post-purpose Brand status.

Haeckels, UK

Strategic opportunity

Community-empowering and purpose-led initiatives can reinforce your brand value and show your audiences that you practise what you preach, sacrificing short-term gains for long-term growth

Stat: Over half of online creators are monetising their content

Photography by Polina Tankilevitch

Global – The creator economy is booming, according to a new study funded by Adobe, which shows that more people than ever are monetising their content. The Future of Creativity study was based on a survey of 9,000 non-professional creators in nine countries, including the US, the UK, Japan and Brazil. While the creator economy has been steadily rising in recent years, the research indicates an increase in individuals making a living from their hobbies and content-creation.

Content-creation is the ultimate side hustle, and people are increasingly turning to it as an additional revenue stream. Overall, the study found 48% earn money from their online side pursuits, with the highest number of creators in Brazil, where 59% are monetising their content and 48% say content-creation makes up more than half of their monthly income.

The research also reveals that many creators are optimistic about the new career opportunities that the arrival of the metaverse will bring, as the expansion of virtual realms opens up new and as yet unexplored avenues for content-creation.

Strategic opportunity

Consider how your brand can support microcontent-creators and tap into their niche but highly engaged audiences, whether it's through industry expertise, masterclasses, or access to professional standard cameras, lighting or other equipment