Social and Ecological Engagement in Design (SEED): An integrative design framework
Our observations and teaching experiences led us to reflect on existing approaches to design and develop SEED as an adaptive framework for idea generation and conceptual development that foregrounds social and ecological considerations.
SEED’s mission is to provide student designers and organisations wishing to enact positive social and ecological change via an extension of conventional design thinking. SEED aligns with the vision for a transformative shift in design philosophy, emphasising that life is the ultimate source of value; where the health of people and the health of the planet are interdependent.
As academics, educators and design practitioners, we recognise a responsibility to offer our students meaningful ways to engage with the scale and multitude of social and environmental challenges. Emerging evidence suggests that many young people are increasingly overwhelmed and experiencing psychological distress resulting from the adverse effects of climate change, which can evoke strong emotions such as concern, guilt and a sense of hopelessness; encapsulated by the term ‘eco-anxiety’ (Léger-Goodes et al., 2022).
Embracing the concept of planetary health
In response, the Social and Ecological Engagement in Design (SEED) framework emphasises stakeholder voices and lived experience, and invites students to co-create culturally sensitive, place-aware design outcomes. SEED links people, planet, and place in practice, enabling designers to engage with complexity, iterate through learning cycles, and shape informed processes for workable creative interventions.
Inspired by principles in Design for The Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change (Papanek, 1972), SEED aims to cultivate a sense of planetary consciousness, hope, and agency for future designers. It provides a structured approach to empower holistic thinking about societal challenges and sustainable futures. SEED guides issue-based inquiry, critical thinking, and clear paths for conceptual development, linking social design with ecological imperatives underpinned by planetary health principles.
Planetary Health In Action: Nurturing the Well-being of People, Place, and Planet (Robba, Lahoud and Capon, 2021): This graphic was conceived for our students to keep value sets and ethos in the forefront of their minds when approaching their design projects. For them, it was important to build eco-literacy in combination with the stated objectives, for; shared values, shared commitments, shared benefits through shared stories. The interdisciplinary link between art, science, and design are uniquely positioned as a knowledge and cultural exchange to express and disseminate complex issues.
A framework for cultural transformation
SEED provides a mechanism to embrace the interconnectedness between our actions, the health of people and health of planet, by enabling designers and changemakers to better imagine and picture a sustainable future. The core themes outlined in Planetary Health: A Framework for Cultural Transformation (Robba, et al., 2020) define the need to reshape communities’ values, culture, mindset, economic systems, regulation, information and crucially, education, to manage ourselves to leave no one behind.
This is where design, and design education, must be at the forefront to enhance innovation, resilience, and future preparedness. Design, in conjunction with art and science, has a unique ability to enact interdisciplinary thinking and learning focused on sustainability challenges.
To change mindsets and behaviours, we must support our students and communities to envision and enact sustainable alternatives to the things we do (the way we live). In planetary health terms—the interconnection of the health of people, and the health of planet—design thinking needs to address the Five Big Pathways: how we feed the world, move the world, house the world, how we power the world, and how we care for the world. (Lahoud et al., 2024)
Planetary Health: A Framework for Cultural Transformation (Robba, Capon, and Lahoud, 2020): Draws a direct connection between human activity (the things we do) with the health of the natural world (our planet) and human health. As a framework, it seeks to illustrate a common language and a shared need for a change in peoples’ perspectives through a shift in values, intentions, and behaviours and by linking each person’s own health to the health of the planet. Informed by Stephen Boyden’s Biosensitivity Triangle (Boyden, 2005)
Social and Ecological Engagement in Design (SEED) Framework. (Robba, Lahoud and Capon, 2022): Rudimentary conceptions, visualisations, and the co-design of SEED began in early 2017. Reflecting over years—applying, testing, and refining—it was clear that the creative journey for a social and ecological design-based methodology was far from linear; requiring a circular, lateral, and interconnected structure. This indicated a need to reassess traditional design thinking models when developing course content for Social Design: Research and Practice at Western Sydney University. The belief that design could be a force for positive social and ecological change, and address real-world problems became a guiding principle for SEED.
The SEED framework guides students with prompts that enhance the idea generation phase, helping them navigate pathways and create outcomes for social and ecological change. Through co-design and participatory practice, SEED positions communities and stakeholders as active participants, recognising the centrality of trust and community voices in the design process. SEED fosters personal commitments to environmental stewardship by drawing on emotional connections to place.
The targeted component is what we term “The Thing”, which signifies the core outcome of the creative endeavour. This pivotal element is malleable and can evolve as participants navigate through each phase, engage with relevant stakeholders, interact with community members, and explore related topics to shape and refine their concepts (for example, an artefact, service, or activation).
SEED is not a static solution but a dynamic framework within a broader ecosystem, which emphasises the need for continual nurturing and adaptation. The metaphor of a seed has been intentionally applied to encapsulate the principles of interconnectedness and adaptability in sustainable practices. Like a seed, designed interventions require continual nurturing, refinement, and adaptation for growth; reflecting the fluid nature of creativity.
Adapted from:
References:
Boyden, S. (2005). People and nature : the big picture. [online] catalogue.nla.gov.au.
