The UAL Social Design Institute develops and uses research insights to inform and change how designers and organisations design. Our mission is to make a positive social and environmental difference.
We work closely with colleagues across UAL including the Centre for Circular Design, Centre for Sustainable Fashion and Design Against Crime Research Centre.
Institute focus areas
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Make @ Story Garden (photo: Adam Razvi)
Value and valuation through design
Exploring how value is created and understood through design and use.
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Braille tube map by Ziyue Wang, photographed by David Poultney
Systems and design
Improving the ways in which designers can develop a better understanding of the contexts they design for and in.
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Make @ Story Garden (photo: Adam Razvi)
Policy contexts and implications
Developing a better understanding of policymaking, design and public policy.
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Amber Nichol in the Studio © Alys Tomlinson
Practice research in social design
Working to define and articulate the potential and implications of practice research in social design.
About us and our work
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Credit: Photography: aalagbe Photography: aalagbe, Workshop: Futures That Need Anticipating: Making and Discussion Studio.
About the Institute
Learn about our mission and governance.
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Visitors reading students magazine, Show at Oxo Tower. Image courtesy of UAL
Publications
Browse our publications to discover insights on social design.
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Mateo Lopez, Students at an event in the Design Museum
Events
Explore our upcoming and past events.
Courses
Stories
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Work by Claudia Lehmann, BA Fine Art: Drawing, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL © Claudia Lehmann
First cross-disciplinary design and policy network
The Network connects arts and humanities researchers and scientists from UAL and other UK universities with the UK Civil Service policy design community: a community of practice in central and local government, made up of people from over 40 public sector organisations.
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Photo by Alexandra Rodriguez-Cifre and Kat Smith
Design students and grads support central government on early policy prototyping
A UAL Social Design Institute project brought CSM Graphic Communication Design students and graduates to work with central government’s Department for Work and Pensions and Policy Lab in early 2022, to apply their skills and thinking to policy around supporting carers.
UAL's key social design achievements
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Fabric created as part of the EU funded Trash 2 Cash Project. Image courtesy of Rebecca Earley.
Recycling textiles into high value products
Centre for Circular Design was key to the EU H2020-funded Trash-2-Cash project, using design to collaboratively explore material life cycles.
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LCFMA17, Design by Elena Louka
World’s first digital course in fashion and sustainability
The Centre for Sustainable Fashion launched the world’s first open-access digital course in luxury fashion and sustainability supported by luxury fashion group Kering.
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Photographed by Tom Willcocks
Co-designing with prisoners
The Design Against Crime Research Centre’s award-winning Makeright prison design education programme produced an anti-theft bag and accessory range co-designed with prisoners in the UK and India.
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Image courtesy of UAL
Reducing child obesity in the UK
The Social Design Institute is supporting Biteback 2030, a charity aiming to reduce child obesity in the UK, in their co-creation work with young people.
Related work in social design
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Image courtesy of UAL
Circular design
Circular design aims to support people and planet through emerging technology, systems design, new materials, social innovation and more.
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Seaweed flower pots by Diana Tso
Design for sustainability
Find out about how our researchers are using design to build up knowledge and develop new approaches on how to address the challenges of sustainability.
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A co-design session with dairy farmers, image courtesy of Alison Prendiville
Health and wellbeing
Working with external partners in the life and medical sciences to produce insights and new, actionable ideas, based on people’s lived experiences.
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Columbia Road Flower Market by Jo Mansfield
Place and community
Researchers at UAL use design to engage, inspire and support communities and places.
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Image courtesy of UAL
Public and social innovation
UAL researchers use approaches from design to intervene in public sector, government and social innovation contexts.
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Caption Young people with anti-theft bags by Design Against Crime Research Centre, photographed by Tom Willcocks
Social action and criminal justice
UAL's ground-breaking work using design research to address issues in the criminal justice system and to facilitate social action.
Our people
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Lucy Kimbell
Director of the Social Design Institute and Professor of Contemporary Design Practices
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Jocelyn Bailey
Research Fellow
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Patrycja Kaszynska
Senior Research Fellow
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Louise Ingledow
Institute Manager
Associates
Our network of academics from across UAL who are affiliated to the Institute and undertake temporary projects with us:
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Nela Milic
Contextual and Theoretical Studies Coordinator
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, UAL Social Design Institute, UALMaria Patsarika
Institute Associate
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Hannah Zeilig
Reader - Senior Lecturer in Health for Art and Design
Contact
To join our mailing or to find out more please get in touch: socialdesigninstitute@arts.ac.uk.