Design as a catalyst for wellbeing

Over the years, I’ve written and spoken extensively about my belief that design has the power to change the world. I find daily inspiration in the many individuals and organizations leaning away from design as pure aesthetics and embracing design as a powerful tool for promoting the wellbeing of both people and the planet.

I refer to wellbeing as holistic health. It includes holistic health of the people: end users—those using the products, and makers—suppliers, producers, and manufacturers. Also, of the planet, because no design is isolated; it is always dependent on and embedded in systems. Our choices have far-reaching impact. Upstream decisions about a design’s materials, energy, and water requirements for manufacturing and operations, and end of life, for example, matter as much as the final form or user interface. For a design to truly promote wellbeing, all aspects across supply chain and user behavior must consider the physical, psychological, and environmental wellbeing of all stakeholders—people and planet alike.

We are at a critical moment in human history, and organizations must go beyond business as usual to design products and systems that are deeply, truly ethical. In my work over three decades, I’ve spoken continuously about this with leading voices in business, science, technology, innovation, and design who are championing this shift toward responsibility and integrity. Here, I want to share some of the insights I’ve gained on how design can actively support wellbeing—maintaining beauty, while also promoting justice.

FORM FOLLOWS FEELING

In season 7, episode 10 of my podcast, FUTURE OF XYZ, I hosted Suchi Reddy, founder of Reddymade, an architecture, design, and public art studio based in New York City. We continued our conversation on a panel during Archtober on the topic of designing for wellbeing.

Suchi is an expert on neuroaesthetics, the study of how art, architecture, and design affect the brain and body. Renowned for design that utilizes principles of neuroaesthetics, Suchi’s practice emphasizes how environments influence our emotional and physiological states. When designers tap into that, they are able to create spaces and objects that are not only beautiful, but profoundly enriching to users’ lives.

Rather than imposing a predetermined style, Suchi believes design should emerge from feelings, comfort, need, memory, and neural response. By centering design on purpose first, the aesthetics then gain depth, richness, and endurance. When we design to feel, not just to look beautiful, aesthetics become more meaningful and design becomes more human.

In her studio, Suchi translates these principles into projects ranging from small objects for large corporate gifting (like a stone dish and incense inspired by memory and scent) to large-scale architecture including residences, cultural institutes, and commercial showrooms. She asks: How much stimulus does a person need? Where do they feel safe? How can proportion, texture, light, and movement be calibrated to support wellbeing?

True aesthetic beauty invites emotional attachment, encourages reuse, and resists disposability. Thus, high-quality, durable, purpose-rooted design is a potent tool for promoting both human and ecological wellbeing.

DESIGN FOR A NET-POSITIVE FUTURE

Design that promotes wellbeing, as I’ve so far defined it, is inherently sustainable. That said, far too many products today are marketed as sustainable, yet the evidence goes no further than the consumer messaging. Real environmentally-conscious design has sustainability woven into its DNA, beginning with the materials and means of production, and carrying through the product’s full lifecycle. During our October conversation about design as a catalyst for wellbeing, Suchi and I were joined by Sergio Silva, vice president of design and innovation at Humanscale—an ergonomic design company and a leading voice in environmental ethics. Sergio argues that true sustainable design not only mitigates harm, but must be regenerative to truly advance wellbeing This means taking a systems-based approach and pushing for circular, climate-positive models.

Humanscale, for instance, uses lifecycle analyses to identify environmental impact. When negative impact can’t be fully avoided, they deploy a “handprint” strategy: Measure the carbon footprint, scale it through sales, and invest in positive initiatives (like solar for nonprofits or water restoration) until the positive impact exceeds the negative. They don’t buy carbon offsets or other more nebulous claims. This is a human-centered, forward-thinking approach that reflects a shift from doing less harm to doing more good. It’s a vision for design where every decision, material, and process contributes to a healthier, more equitable world.

DESIGN WITH CONSCIENCE

Grace Farms’ Design for Freedom initiative is a groundbreaking movement uniting industry leaders to eradicate forced labor from global architecture, design, and construction. I have been lucky enough to attend the project’s annual conference twice, and have been deeply inspired by the work they’re doing.

Founded by the interdisciplinary Grace Farms Foundation in New Canaan, Connecticut—a center dedicated to advancing human flourishing through nature, arts, justice, community, and faith—Design for Freedom challenges the industry to not only address its enormous environmental impact, but to confront an often-overlooked ethical crisis embedded within the built environment’s supply chain.

Even today, achieving a truly transparent, slavery-free building requires systemic transformation. The construction industry remains one of the least regulated sectors in this regard, with an estimated 75% of U.S. construction firms owned and operated by a single individual with no payroll. Plus, the sheer complexity of sourcing, from raw minerals to composite materials to hard and technological finishes, makes it nearly impossible to ensure that every component is free from forced labor. Design for Freedom exposes these concerns, providing remarkable tools, solutions, and support to help designers, builders, engineers, and business leaders transition into a forced labor-free future.

CLOSING THOUGHT

To design for wellbeing means more than creating products or spaces that nurture users’ happiness and enhances beauty. It requires a holistic understanding that wellbeing encompasses everyone and everything involved in the design and creation process from end-to-end: material suppliers, manufacturers, implicated communities, and the planet. Every design decision carries real impact, and to ignore that is to overlook the very essence of ethical design. Design can and should be a catalyst for wellbeing—always.

Lisa Gralnek is global head of sustainability and impact for iF Design, managing director of iF Design USA Inc., and creator/host of the podcast, FUTURE OF XYZ.