Designing Tomorrow Book – Visual Identity & Design

The book addresses urgent issues relating to the climate crisis without shying away from the serious nature of the problems presented. It also calls the reader to action, providing them with strategies that they can use to take a planet-centred approach in their work and life. As the designers, we sought to present the narrative concisely, crafting a visual story that intrigues the reader and establishes an emotional connection with them without diluting the concepts. The challenge for us was simplifying complexity and creating visuals that make these concepts accessible and useable.

To create a fit-for-purpose product, we used a co-design approach throughout the development process. We started the project with a facilitated session with the authors/clients, live sketching the discussion, identifying the purpose and vision for the project. Making the conversation visual enabled us to bring our individual perspectives onto one page and build on them together; this helped us quickly establish an aligned visual identity and narrative for the book. We met fortnightly with the authors as the chapters were being written, workshopping the content and graphics during each session, continually iterating upon our designs to distil the core message.

3,000 copies of the book are already on sale in bookstores and online worldwide. For the impact of the book to be as widespread as possible, we have made all the methods and templates free for use on the book’s website, allowing the ideas within the book to be widely proliferated as tools for leaders and professionals as well as educational resources. Making the complex concepts in the book visually accessible and providing free resources allows people to easily share the content, amplifying the impact. This ultimately contributes to driving positive change within organisations and a shift in the industry.

A key feature of this book is the use of strategic design tactics to create change that is practical and sustainable. To make the strategies useable, the authors grouped the strategic design tactics under three pillars: networks, interventions and partnerships. The tactics are all mapped out in one table along with their relevant tools and strategies. The table is further summarised in a circular diagram featured at the beginning of each section, which acts as a compass indicating to the reader where they are and how those tactics fit into the bigger picture. The book’s take on systems thinking is summarised in our poster of life centred design principles. These high-level aspirations may seem abstract on their own, so we used visual metaphors to make them tangible. For long-term change to happen, the key is taking one step at a time. To help the readers do that, we embedded 1% change spreads at the end of each chapter. These pages featured actionable takeaways, as well as questions for reflection. These sections also showcase compelling examples, helping readers understand how these methods have worked for others. They purposely stand out from other pages acting as bookmarks as the reader flips through.