Why and how can impact design help me?
That is the most common question from our clients – entrepreneurs, CEOs, social economy stakeholders, non-governmental organizations and decision-makers.
But interestingly, our most common answer is not an answer but rather a question.
So we first ask: “What do you want with your business or activity?”.
More than 80% of answers fall into two categories.
First, we want to be competitive in the market or our work area. Usually, our clients understand competitiveness (C) in a broader context, including financial aspects, quality, and many other indicators. And second – we want to leave an impact (I). Usually, that includes something positive for them, their clients, buyers, and increasingly more often, the supplier chain, partners, environment, and society.
So it is safe to say the formula for most of our client’s identity (we mark that as ID) is:
ID = C + I
C + I work for us. They fit as a potential client, so we introduce a new formula to explain impact design.
ID = C + I
Well, it looks the same as the previous one. Explanation needed.
This time with ID, we mean Impact Design. Impact design as a systematic tool for Care (C) and Innovation (I). Why Care and Innovation? Because in the impact design process, our clients decide what they care about (to maximize their impact) and what they will innovate (to maximize their competitiveness). With Innovation, we understand the different scales of changes, upgrades, adaptations, and real innovations.
So we end up with two equal yet different formulas that are interconnected:
ID (Identity) = C (Competitiveness) + I (Impact)
ID (Impact Design) = C (Care) + I (Innovation)
Understanding the specific and unique wishes for clients’ competitiveness and impact enables the development of impact design care and innovation goals and activities. All resulting and visualized in a client’s (c) tailored made new impact design formula:
c ID (Impact Design) = c Care (for Impact) + c Innovation (for Competitiveness)
c ID = c CI + c IC
Formula opens the space for tailored made solutions and clients’ motivation to participate in the impact design process. So now the job starts and, as a rule, ends with clients’ scaled competitiveness and higher or even high impact.
