UAL Social Design Institute

Championing research and practice in social design and design for sustainability.

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

Make @ Story Garden (photo: Adam Razvi)

Value and valuation through design

Exploring how value is created and understood through design and use.
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.
Make @ Story Garden (photo: Adam Razvi)

Policy contexts and implications

Developing a better understanding of policymaking, design and public policy.
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.

Credit: Photography: aalagbe Photography: aalagbe, Workshop: Futures That Need Anticipating: Making and Discussion Studio.

About the Institute

Learn about our mission and governance.
Visitors reading students magazine, Show at Oxo Tower. Image courtesy of UAL

Publications

Browse our publications to discover insights on social design.
Mateo Lopez, Students at an event in the Design Museum

Events

Explore our upcoming and past events.

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.
Gratte Ciel: The Awakening. Jamie Gray. Performed in Broadgate, Coventry, UK.

UAL cultural value experts support UK Cities of Culture research

The UK Cities of Culture project commissioned by AHRC and led by University of Warwick proposes that the UK City of Culture Programme should be informed by Arts and Humanities research. Supported by UAL academics Dr Patrycja Kaszynska and Professor Graeme Evans.

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.
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.
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.
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.

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.
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.
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.

Columbia Road Flower Market by Jo Mansfield

Place and community

Researchers at UAL use design to engage, inspire and support communities and places.
Image courtesy of UAL

Public and social innovation

UAL researchers use approaches from design to intervene in public sector, government and social innovation contexts.
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.