foundations., tomes., canon.

Forming Foundations.

In the worlds of social impact, it's useful to learn the insights of scholars who have come before. Here are a few powerful resources to draw from.

Design + Innovation.

Wicked Problems in Design Thinking | Richard Buchanan
Design as a new liberal art for technological culture.
Design for the Real World | Victor Papanek
An awakening of designers’ awareness on the social and moral responsibilities.
The Act of Creation | Arthur Koestler
An attempt to create a general theory of human creativity.
How Methods Make Designers | Seyram Avle + Silvia Lindtner + Kaiton Williams
A critique on the Silicon Valley culture of technology production.
Field Guide: Equity-Centered Community Design | Creative Reaction Lab
Equity-centered design resources.
Design Justice Network Principles
A manifesto of principles on design justice.
Design is a Job | Mike Montiero
Your crash course in navigating industry as a design.
It’s Time to Define What “Good” Means in Our Industry | George Aye
On evaluating social design.
An Incomplete List of Resources for the Equity-Centered Designer | Isabelle Yisak
An incomplete list of resources for the equity-centered designer.
Sciences of the Artificial | Herbert Simon
The archetypal novel that began the science of design.
A Taxonomy of Innovation | Luma Institute
Useful innovation practice methods for any complex situation.
"Technology": The Emergence of a Hazardous Concept | Leo Marx
A history of how the concept of “technology” was created.
Design for Development, ICSID and UNIDO: The Anthropological Turn in 1970s Design | Alison J. Clarke
A recounting of when design became centered on development.
Ten Types of Innovation | Doblin
Categorizing methods of successfully innovation business models.