What is Co-Design?

Creativity is sacred, and it lives within each of us

Co-design, or collaborative design, engages our collective imagination to build the world we want to live in.

Our processes are led by and benefit communities impacted by injustice. We are proud to be contributors to the Design Justice Network Principles, which guide our practice.

And Also Too’s 3 lens graphics are arranged so that they partially overlap. The lenses are gauzy white blobs against a dark orange background.

The co-design process

Co-design is a deep commitment to relationship-building, flexibility, mutual learning, and accountability to community. Because of this, we witness change happening through the co-design process rather than at the end of it.

Here is what co-design looks like in theory, though each process is unique.

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1. Gathering (1-3 months)

Photo of two young Indigenous men standing with their arms outstretched and faces pointed up at the ceiling. One is smiling, and the other looks peaceful. An elder stands behind them.

The first step is to gather members of your community. We’ll help you assemble a group of co-design participants who will shape the design process and the outcome. No design experience is needed.

2. LISTENING (1-2 months)

Photo of a group of multigenerational and multiracial people sitting at tables arranged in a circle. The people are huddled in small groups, talking and writing.

Next, we will facilitate conversations with your organization and the co-design group to develop a shared understanding of the problem or challenge we are attempting to address.

3. INSIGHT (2-3 months)

Three First Nations youth stand around a piece of chart paper. They are brainstorming their rights when they are stopped by the police.

This is when the magic happens. Through hands-on co-design activities and meandering conversations, we will uncover compelling and often unexpected ideas.

4. Development (4 Months+)

Two people sit in front of a laptop, which has the Ripple Mapping Tool open in a browser window. The person in the foreground uses the tool by typing on a keyboard while the other person watches.

We will hone the raw idea into finished form, with ongoing input from your organization and the co-design group. The final outcome might be a digital product, a printed resource, a piece of art, or something else.

5. RELEASE (1 month)

Group shot of several people sitting on chairs as well as standing up at the Feathers of Hope: Justice & Juries report release event. The people include youth and elders. On either side of them is an enlarged poster of the artwork from the Justice and Juries report. Each poster is propped up on an easel. In front of the group of people is a Mother Drum wrapped in a blanket.

Now is the time to get the finished work into the world. We’ll celebrate with you, support your launch strategy, and we’ll also help you create a feedback loop for future iterations.