Lien De Ruyck

Taking on a holistic approach to design and systems’ thinking can help us understand how different elements relate to each other — and helps us remember that the world is an interconnected web. Everything we design is part of a whole that has a wider social and ecological impact.

Indigenous communities are pioneers of technologies that offer solutions to climate change, according to designer and environmentalist Julia Watson.In her new book, LO–TEK Design by Radical Indigenism, Watson argues that tribal communities, seen by many as primitive, are highly advanced when it comes to creating systems in symbiosis with the... See more

Introducing PolytopiasThe word polytopia means “many places”. Unlike dystopias and utopias — which begin or end on the precipice of change — polytopias show the change from one state to another. They are stories that depict many people, many places, at many times. They demonstrate the incremental steps required to shift a system and how those... See more

A new acronym recently emerged to describe the new world we are living in, BANI– Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear and Incomprehensible. The digital acceleration that occurred in the last two years with the pandemic made this concept even more relevant since it clearly expressed the reality many organisations are facing.

THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM chronicles the eight-year quest of John and Molly Chester as they trade city living for 200 acres of barren farmland and a dream to harvest in harmony with nature.Through dogged perseverance and embracing the opportunity provided by nature's conflicts, the Chester’s unlock and uncover a biodiverse design for living that... See more

Industrial Design operates within a capitalistic system. Industrial Designers create things to be made, purchased, and used by consumers. In the end, this exchange most frequently benefits the corporations and other entities who hold power…