A Case for Purpose-Driven Design
Lessons learned from a 72 Hour Design Sprint hosted by Good Measure
A few weekends ago, something powerful happened. I want to say magical — but nothing about this weekend was by chance. Nearly a hundred creatives came together from all over New York City and beyond — including San Diego, LA, Houston, and even Iceland — to create a brand, video, and website to launch a non-profit into the world. In less than 72 hours.
Prior to this weekend, there was a collective of people striving towards the same goal — to address youth violence in Memphis through engaging young people in creativity and mindfulness. These people included Emmy award-winning filmmakers Alan Spearman and Mark Adams, and former White House Photographer during the Obama Administration, Amanda Lucidon, and Sister Peace, a nun in Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing, as well as talented artists and musicians who they collaborate with on an ongoing basis. The team saw a deep need and knew how they could make an impact, but were missing a few key elements to move their mission forward. Enter Good Measure.
Good Measure organizes creatives to come together for 72 hours to revitalize the future for cause-based organizations through branding, design, videography, and development. Incredible creatives dedicated their time, talent, and resources for an entire weekend to provide this non-profit with a brand, video, website, and other resources necessary for fundraising. A few amazing case studies have already been written and there’s a brief overview you can check out here before the official site launches. I am going to share more about the power of collaboration around purpose-driven design, and how I believe whole-heartedly that if we are willing to put ourselves out there, we can truly make a difference.
Purpose-Driven Collaboration
On Friday night, we were a group of strangers, with little understanding of the organization, trying to figure out how to make something meaningful. Groups formed around brand design, content strategy, videography, and website design. It took most of the night to distill the purpose and goals of the organization and how we would work together to make something cohesive for Grounded (the brand new name for this non-profit).
None of us knew more than a couple of faces in the room (if any at all) but we bonded by our desire to empower this organization on a mission to end youth violence. Every single person that weekend checked their ego at the door. There were no power struggles, no politics, no one fighting for attention or recognition. Everyone had the singular goal of creating value for Grounded.
This is the power of purpose-driven collaboration and why a model like Good Measure works — people aren’t in it for the glory, they’re there to make an impact. There is a time and place to take care of yourself and manage your own career, but for a weekend, none of that mattered. All that mattered was giving the best of ourselves to a cause that deeply deserved it. And there are still crazy side benefits. Saying goodbye to everyone late Sunday night felt like summer camp. It was one of the most powerful, inspired, talented groups I had ever come across. We learned so much from each other and had a hell of a time creating together.
Design as a Force for Good
That weekend in March changed the game for Grounded. This team of creatives not only crafted a powerful brand presence but also helped distill the purpose and mission of Grounded into digestible bits of information critical for communicating with investors. We helped to form the visual identity and communication strategy and created a path to get volunteers involved and receive support. That is the power of design.
Non-profits, the folks in the fight every single day, deserve the best that we as creatives have to offer. They are the experts on their mission and we can help channel their passion into resources that will help them raise awareness and receive support. This is what drives us as the Creative Team at Classy and what was in the air that weekend in New York. Everyone has a part to play, and I firmly believe that designers, developers, writers, and other creatives are uniquely equipped to make an impact.
Which leads me to my last point: designing for good not only benefits the cause, it also changes the contributor. It reminds you there is something much bigger than yourself, and that you can make a difference.
Put Yourself Out There!
To be completely honest, the weekend wasn’t always smooth sailing. Saturday afternoon was pure chaos trying to align the final brand concept, content strategy, and website design, but it was completely invigorating. All of the work was being done in parallel and at some point, someone’s job was running from group to group for down to the minute updates that would affect the work each team was doing.
I quickly learned that the key to thriving in this environment is a high tolerance for ambiguity and change and a keen eye to fill in gaps. It might get messy, but if you trust the people in the trenches with you, amazing things will happen. Being fueled by a sense of higher purpose creates deep connections with people and ultimately produces better work. These are lessons I’ll carry with me and transform the way I operate as a designer.
So now I challenge you. Put yourself out there and find ways to support local non-profits, cause-based organizations, or businesses on a mission. It doesn't have to be a huge undertaking. In fact, it might be better to start small. It could be a poster, social media, or content organization for a micro-site. Commit a few hours worth of work and set clear expectations with whoever you work alongside. Take a chance and use your creative talents as a force for good. And share your stories with us! We’d love to hear how you’re using design for good.
I want to note that I fully recognize that designing for non-profits can be tricky. This was an extremely well-organized weekend by Good Measure who did a lot of work to prep the organization and follow up with them after the bulk of the work was completed. If you want to learn more about how they operate, check out their Medium! And stay tuned, because Good Measure is coming to the West Coast 👀
