What is Life Centered Design?
As designers, we have to reinvent the way we live in relationship to the natural and human world around us. We need to design new connections with each other, with our food, our work and most importantly, life on earth around us. This start with the realisation that humans are part of nature.
Life Centred Design is a design philosophy and approach that goes beyond human needs. In recent years more and more designers, design researchers, activists and professionals who practice any form of design( thinking) have started to question if the thing we love doing the most (DESIGNING) is any good for the planet, for life on earth or humanity. Among others in my field, I believe the way we use design today is damaging our world. Fortunately, our skills and mindsets can benefit all life on earth. From these insights, Life Centered Design was born.
As designers, we have to reinvent the way we live in relationship to the natural and human world around us. This starts with the realisation that we are part of nature.
So what is Life Centered Design? My definition:
“Life-Centred Design is a design philosophy and approach that goes beyond human needs and puts life at the centre of our creation. And advocate for biological ecosystems and non-user communities that never had a voice before in the design process. The long-term goal is to restore natural ecosystems and create a new balance between nature and humanity.
The Designer
Questions the relevance of whatever they want to design.
Places nature and the non-user at the decision-making table and gives them a voice.
Facilitates a collaborative process that leads to new relationships with humans, nature, food, and the artefacts we use daily.
Designs that what restores and regenerates and not destroys
Creates life centered future scenarios that inspire people
The design process might follow a similar trajectory as other design approaches. But, it draws direct inspiration from nature, environmental scientists and new economic models, ethnography and systems thinking and information science.
Expressions of LCD can be new regenerative food systems, regrowth of nature, new design challenges, graphic design, new relationships, reinvented products, manifestos etc.
You can join one of our free webinars or workshops if you want to learn more about Life Centered Design. See you soon, and let's start changing the world one design at a time.
Author: Jeroen Spoelstra
Images: Jeroen Spoelstra
