Our
Approach

We use a set of guiding principles to approach the world’s biggest challenges, creating a movement that delivers lasting, measurable impact for the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Our Guiding Principles

Book cover titled 'Design' with subtitle 'With Development organisations and affected communities' on a cream background.
Slide with the word 'Build' and the phrase 'Cross-functional teams of diverse corporations, partners and experts'.
Text on a beige background that reads 'Train' and 'And mentor teams to design for social and environmental impact'.
Open Source software logo with a beige background, displaying the phrase "Open Source" and the subtitle "All products and services intellectual property" in dark brown text.
Cover page with the word 'Implement' in large text, and a subtitle 'With development organisations to track impact and scale.'

Our Focus For 2030

  • Children and a teacher in a classroom, engaging in educational activity, with text overlay about designing for quality education from the 24th to 26th.

    From 2024-2026, Design for Good is focusing on SDG 4: Quality Education.
    SDG 4 covers multiple dimensions of education, training, and development, ensuring lifelong learning.

  • A woman holding a young girl outdoors, pointing at something in the distance near trees with sunlight filtering through, with text about designing for people and planet health, and icons representing good health and climate action.

    You cannot have a healthy life without a healthy planet, and addressing one without the other is not viable.
    This is why our focus between 2026-2030 is Designing for People and Planet Health.

  • Close-up of two hands under running water from a faucet, washing together, with a background of yellow containers or drums, focused on water sanitation.

    From 2022-2024, Design for Good focused on Goal 6: clean water & sanitation. This includes all subtopics under SDG 6, including wetland conservations, hygiene, sanitation and water quality.

Our Alliance in Numbers

16Alliance members working together on one shaped purpose.
32Projects implemented or in-development.
2,000Designers involved since our inception.
212Designers received a Design for Good Certificate for exceptional quality of work.
30Countries represented since our inception.
26Development organisations and charities partnered with.
1,200Designers registered to RCA x Design for Good Academy since inception.
90%Average satisfaction across training modules.
423Designers received formal RCA Accreditation since inception.

Our Programme

We build multidisciplinary, cross-organisational teams that address project briefs from our partner NGOs/charities, spending one year innovating and another implementing robust, scalable design solutions that make an impact.

An orange paper airplane inside a circular compass-like frame.

Innovation

Each team receives a design brief, data and existing research from the NGO/charity to frame a design hypothesis, design a proof of concept and create a product or service prototype.

3D geometric shape above a platform, outlined in orange on a black background.

Implementation

Teams continue to partner with their NGOs/charities to further embed their innovations on the ground. An impact tracking framework is set up to monitor effects and successes over time. Each project is monitored for three years after final transition.

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Impact

All project outputs and intellectual property are available open source for anyone to scale and use, ensuring wider adoption and
long-term impact.

A group of five children in school uniforms gathers around a woman with a book, looking at a white container with a lid, outdoors in a residential area.
A group of school children in blue uniforms gathered around a woman, likely a teacher or health worker, who is demonstrating something in a white machine in an outdoor setting with houses and laundry hanging in the background.

Ready to get inspired by one of our projects?
Check out our impact stories.

See Our Projects

Royal College of Art x Design for Good Academy

The Academy upskills creatives to advance social and environmental good through design. Delivered by world-class experts and industry leaders, the Academy provides training and a repository of methods and tools to Design for Good members.

  • Head of Youth Segment Strategy


    I took back key learnings from the Academy into my work. It helped to shift my mindset around the importance of storytelling and value propositions.

  • Product Designer


    The frameworks from the Academy for systems innovation, co-creation and mixed-perspective empathy have given me practical tools to engage with stakeholders more effectively.

  • User Experience Designer


    The RCA x Design for Good Academy gave me the space to pause, reflect, and discover where I truly want to make a difference.

  • Content Design Lead


    The line-up of speakers for the Design for Good Academy was exceptional, and each session left us with countless invaluable takeaways  that had the potential to directly enhance our work.

  • Master’s Student


    This programme broadened my perspective and deepened my skills. It equipped me with a more holistic and strategic mindset and skillset that I can immediately apply.

Free Masterclass Talks

Our Academy also offers free to the public Masterclass talks, exploring all facets of life-centred design. The full Masterclass playlist provides an opportunity to engage with design experts, ask questions and gain a nuanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities in designing for positive impact.

  • Inclusion by Design

    Dr Pattie Moore, one of the founders of the inclusive and universal design movement, explores the gap between design aspiration and the lived experience of customers and end-users when those designs are implemented.

    Play Masterclass
  • Event poster with orange background promoting a masterclass talk by Dori Tunstall scheduled for November 26, 2024, at 4:00 PM GMT, featuring a portrait of Dori Tunstall with gray hair, statement earrings, and a black blazer.

    Decolonising Design

    Dr. Dori Tunstall, in conversation with Dr. Nick de Leon, reassess common design practices, discuss how designers can prioritise indigenous perspectives and take action to reduce environmental impact.

    Play Masterclass
  • Ron Wakkary Masterclass Talk

    Designing for More than Human Worlds

    Looking at more than human design from a systemic viewpoint, this conversation with Professor Ron addresses how to acknowledge the interconnectedness of humans and non-humans as a foundation for design.

    Play Masterclass

  • Lifelong Learning for the Design Community

    This Masterclass Talk focuses on the importance of life-long learning from three notable Chief Design Officers: Ximena O'Reilly (Nestlé), Teman Evans (General Mills) and Mauro Porcini (PepsiCo).

    Play Masterclass
  • Orange promotional poster for a masterclass talk featuring photos of Sandy Speicher and Terry Behan, scheduled for 16:00 GMT on April 9, 2024.

    How to design innovative business models for sustainable initiatives

    Terry Behan and Sandy Speicher explore how to design innovative business models for sustainable design initiatives through ‘finding fit’.

    Play Masterclass
  • Event poster for a masterclass talk featuring Don Norman on February 6, 2024, at 4:00 PM GMT, with a close-up photo of Don Norman smiling and wearing glasses.

    Don Norman in conversation with Sean Carney

    Don Norman and Sean Carney discuss the shift to humanity-centred design, the importance of co-creation, reconciling design innovation with the needs of a business, holistic design approaches and more.

    Play Masterclass
  • Design as a Regenerative Practice

    Design as a Regenerative Practice

    Looking at regenerative design from a systemic viewpoint, this conversation with Daniel Christian Wahl addresses how to bring the health of ecological systems as a foundation for design.

    Play Masterclass