This summer, the Seattle food scene is getting re-designed. I’m not just talking about more food trucks, beer pavilions and craft cocktail bars, though all of those are welcome additions. AIGA’s Design for Good series kicked off in Seattle this spring, and the focus of this inaugural design challenge is food.
The AIGA (American Institute for Graphic Arts) is the professional association for design “and is committed to advancing design as a professional craft, strategic advantage and vital cultural force.” The Seattle chapter of AIGA is booming – it’s no wonder, in a city full of talented designers, makers and doers. This year, the Seattle chapter put that booming membership to good use, organizing the first ever Seattle Design for Good Changemaker Series.
Design for Good is a “a movement to ignite, accelerate and amplify design-driven social change.” Though Design for Good is a national movement, each chapter defines it’s own programming and themes. Karis Cady, the design director at Pyramid Communications, a firm that specializes in creating design solutions for social change says, “Seattle is a great city for caring about food – in particular the vulnerable populations who don’t have as much access to food.”
This sweet spot between foodie culture and design genius made food an obvious choice for The 2015 Design for Good Changemaker Series. The City of Seattle, Farestart, and Washington Latino Farmers Network are just a few of the organizations looking to be paired up with a design team. Volunteer designers will be placed on teams, given design challenges specific to the organization they are paired with and spend the summer using design thinking to create solutions. The work with be presented to the community at large in September, and further funding options will be explored to put the solutions into practice.
Food is something we are very passionate about as a city. Cady notes, “not only do we benefit from the fresh northwest produce and salmon, but I think those things exist because there are a lot of factors coming together in Seattle. Our city has a strong environmental focus – we care about how far food has to travel and the impact that has on what we put in our bodies.”
Not only do Seattle locals care about the food we put in our bodies, we also identify with understanding the social impacts of eating well. Seattle has long been a city that seeks to take care of it’s citizens, whether they can afford boutique groceries or not. “The beauty of food,” Kady says, “ is it’s very much a community thing that we like to share with other people. If we can use food to break down barriers that’s beautiful thing.” That’s exactly what multiple non-profits around the state are attempting to do, albeit in many different ways.
So how do designers get involved in moving non-profit organizations forward? “Design can help you [as a non-profit] take a step back and look at the larger picture. Designers can do so much more than build a beautiful website,” says Cady.
As we all know, probably all too well, non-profit organizations are constantly battling for funding, keeping overhead costs low and allocating as many resources as possible directly to programming. This leaves little room for design. In a world where ease of access to your product really matters, lack of a well thought out design can severely impede impact.
Seattle is starting to get a bit of reputation – it’s a tech focused city that’s attracting a lot of talent. All that tech talent means Seattle is a “a great city for design, we attract great talent, and see lots of skills coming into the city. It’s an exciting place to be,” says Cady.
The Matchmaking phase of the Design For Good Changemaker Series kicks off tonight, in Capitol Hill. Designers will be placed on teams, define challenges and get to work on solutions. The work with be presented to the community in September. If you’re a foodie or designer interested in getting involved, check out AIGA Seattle’s website.
Have an opinion about the intersection between foodie culture, access to food and design? Let us know in the comments below!
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Photo by Nick Kelly, www.nkly.co