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    • Three designers speaking at a Design Vanguard convening by the Eames Institute

    Unleashing the exponential power of design, The Design Vanguard is a community of the foremost creative leaders from the business, tech, and social sectors. This community leverages its resources and influence to catapult design forward in service of creating a more just and beautiful world. It was incubated by IDEO.org between 2017–2019, and continues under the leadership of the Eames Institute, attracting a diverse array of design luminaries.

    Design has never been more influential, tackling daunting and complex challenges with empathy, optimism, and bold ingenuity. Icons like Florence Knoll, Eliot Noyes, and Dieter Rams established design as a critical tool in the realm of business, while the likes of our ultimate heroes Ray and Charles Eames questioned how design might have the power to improve communities and entire systems.

    A conversation between two people on a couch during a Design Vanguard convening at the Eames Institute
    A Design Vanguard member listening to a talk during a Design Vanguard event
    Members of The Design Vanguard in discussion during an event at the Eames Institute
    Members of The Design Vanguard listening to Llisa Demetrios speak about objects in the Eames Collection
    Members of The Design Vanguard in discussion during a dinner
    Members of The Design Vanguard in discussion at an event

    Each Design Vanguard convening reinforces that we’re at a pivotal moment in history where designers have unprecedented access to talent, influence, and resources across virtually every sector. Discussions routinely center the following three topics.

    • Representation: Design Vanguard members embrace the challenge of cultivating design talent that truly reflects the society we serve. We support organizations that guide designers from underrepresented backgrounds on their journey.

    • Ethics: Design Vanguard members acknowledge the enormous responsibility of creating solutions for social good. We can both anticipate the unintended consequences of design and rectify those consequences, should they ever arise.

    • Philanthropy: Design Vanguard members can put our money where our mouth is, and invest directly in design for a better world by supporting nonprofit design organizations and their beneficiaries.

    A conversation during a Design Vanguard convening at the Eames Institute

    Going forward, The Design Vanguard will remain an invitation-only community, curated to represent the diversity we seek to see in the design field and the world. The community will convene annually, with ongoing communication and touchpoints throughout the year.

    The Design Vanguard remains firmly rooted in the belief that the potential of design is vast and so should be its beneficiaries⁠—in the words of Ray and Charles Eames, “the best for the most for the least.” The challenge for The Design Vanguard is to galvanize its fellow designers to defend the glory of the possible, and build a future that the design discipline is worthy of and can be proud of. It is this pursuit of a moral elegance that brings dignity to all and ennobles everything design touches with honesty, beauty, and optimism.

    Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know. And if you’re interested in supporting⁠—or your company is interested in sponsoring⁠—the efforts of The Design Vanguard, please consider a 100% tax-deductible donation to the Eames Institute. Email gifts@eamesinstitute.org or donate online.