We are Spaghetti.

The world is changing. This is a bit of a cliché these days. Everyone seems to be talking about it. The problem is that the world has always been changing, what is so different now?

“We sit at the precipice of a completely new world. Unknown and unknowable. From exponential technologies that will transform our economy, to generational differences that reveal new ways of working and organising, the changes that are coming are seismic and sudden.” — The Ready

Right now, more factors than ever before are changing the world around us at a faster pace than ever before. The future has always been unknowable but the rate of change was much slower, so we were more able to adapt, adjust and if lucky (or privileged) possibly even shape it.

The complexity of the changes and challenges all around us is alienating and confusing. “Change” is the playground of experts, we are made to feel like we are not qualified to play a role in it.

In these times of uncertainty we all have to ask ourselves some very serious questions: Who is designing this future for us? What are the implications? How do we make sure it is democratic and inclusive?

As designers, we have to ask ourselves what our roles and responsibilities are in this regard. We need to think about the morals that we are embedding in the work we do, and work to create a design culture that consciously makes better decisions. Beyond that we need to consider how we harness the power of the many and create learning systems.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, everything is designed. From the chair you’re sat on to the institutions that serve society everyday. To really acknowledge this fact is to recognise that things can be changed, improved or transformed if they no longer serve their purpose. There are endless possibilities, and this is a mindset we must cultivate in everyone. In an ever changing world, everyone designs.

Our Purpose:

In response to being broken by a design culture that all to often did not share our values, and an education that did not prepare us adequately for the highly competitive “real world,” we wanted to use design for something meaningful. In 2015, we started Spaghetti and use that as our vehicle to drive change, actively demonstrating that things don’t have to be the same. We asked ourselves, as designers, this question; How might we help everyone to feel empowered to shape the world around them?

“If your goal is innovation, then your role must instead be to create an environment — a setting, a context, an organization — where people are willing and able to do the hard work of innovation themselves: to collaborate, learn through trial and error, and make integrated decisions.” — Collective Genius, Linda A. Hill, et al.

We believe passionately that all of us together can design a better future. To get there design professionals and experts must think differently about the role we play in working with people, and we need to get to making and showing collaborative and radically optimistic alternatives to the current status quo.

“Nothing about us, without us, is for us” — via Devita Davison

We all need to move away from a culture that is driven by egos and the idea of a ‘hero designer’ who comes up with all the answers. We need an approach that is more humble and open to the prospect of involving and supporting people through the creation process. Change is needed and we can’t do it alone.

The work we do is varied and bridges private, public and third sector spaces. This takes shape in four main streams of focus:

• Collaborative Design — Creating spaces for people to be in the design driving seat for the things that affect them.
• Design Projects — Using expertise to support the design strategy and concepts in relation to social innovation and digital transformation.
• Ventures — Using venture design as a means to support established and startups businesses. Understanding how harenessing the potential of design can be the difference that delivers you a successful launch and a long term competitive edge.
• Futures — Exploring trends in design, technology and the human experience to imagine new possibilities for the future.

We have learnt a lot but there is still much more work to be done. We’ll continue to share our learnings and thoughts with you, watch this space.

www.wearespaghetti.cc

We work everyday to help individuals, groups and organisations use design to shape the things that affect them. We are just getting started.

What are you going to do?