Reflecting on Six Years as a Studio for Shared Progress

Some days, it feels incredibly rewarding to celebrate another year, this being our sixth. On other days, it feels like we are just getting started, with much left to learn but also a lot of energy toward our original mission—using design as a collaborative tool for shared prosperity and progress.

Our Beginnings

Our story began more as a calling than an aspiration for what a design practice could be. We felt compelled to explore more just ways to use design and technology as tools for change on a social scale.

Working in larger agencies around 2018, we started to see many leaders across private, public and non-profit sectors recognize the urgency of solving the challenging problems of our era — such as the climate crisis, public health, and social inequity. (For those who weren’t on board yet, the years that followed have certainly awakened everyone to how pressing these issues are.) We felt that our accepted approach to design—often a tool wielded by a few for the benefit of a few—needed to be reimagined if these challenges were ever going to be meaningfully addressed.

Six years on that goal still guides us. We’ve learned a few things along the way and had more people join us to adopt and adapt the ways of working we’ve uncovered. 

Believing in the transformative power of inclusive design we built on ideas from thinkers and practitioners like Ezio Manzini, Adrienne Marie Brown, and the work of the Design Justice Network and Sasha Costanza-Chock, to center our studio around the principles of participatory design and co-creation.

Co-design is about shifting power relations in the design process, recognizing the expertise and creativity that exist within communities.

— Sasha Costanza-Chock

However, in recent years, those who prefer to maintain the status quo have led efforts to dismantle movements and progress toward a free and equitable society. From extreme Supreme Court rulings to the rise in authoritarianism, these forces seek to protect power and privilege at the expense of progress.

The ‘Anti-Woke’ Era

The mainstream perspective on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has evolved significantly over the years. Initially, DEI efforts were often seen as checkboxes to tick or initiatives to avoid public backlash.

To us, as the understanding of systemic inequalities deepened, the importance of genuine, sustained efforts to include diverse voices in shaping our future became clearer. Despite these positive shifts, DEI initiatives often fall short. They can become performative, lacking true commitment and failing to address root causes. 

This is why co-design is crucial. It’s not just about inclusion but about active participation in the creation process. Co-design ensures that solutions are not only effective but also reflective of the communities they intend to serve. This approach has proven successful in our strategy and design work, leading to meaningful impacts for our partners and the communities they impact.

Design, when it is not an isolated act of creation but a social process, becomes a tool for democratizing innovation.

— Ezio Manzini

What Lies Ahead

We remain hopeful and committed to our mission. The journey is ongoing, and the evolution of our studio is a testament to the power of collective effort. 

Our recent expansion to Los Angeles, the addition of new design and management leadership, and the growth of our team with designers from diverse geographies, backgrounds, and skills reflect this evolution. 

We continue to attract new designers and partners who are inspired by our approach and appreciate its value. This shows in our client retention and the diversity of the problems we are increasingly invited to help solve.

If we want to create a world in which conflict and trauma aren’t the center of our collective existence, we have to practice something new, ask different questions, access again our curiosity about each other as a species.

— Adrienne Marie Brown

More than ever, the last six years have convinced us that better futures are built together through design. Personally, that fuels my excitement about the next phase of our journey. Together, we can create a world where design serves everyone, and progress is shared by all. 

Here's to the next chapter of DVXD—where innovation through inclusivity, and collaboration will continue to drive us forward.

Thank you for being part of our journey.