Known Service Design
Together Human+
Beyond anthropocentric Human-Centered Design. Humans are not the center of the universe, nor do we exist in isolation. We need to recognize that we exist as a part of an interdependent system, an ecosystem. An ecosystem on the edge of collapse.
Service Design is the critical application of evidence-based design practice to the services and experiences that define many of our everyday interactions.
We are Known
We are a nonprofit service design & innovation studio focused on the social value of service design as well as its economic importance. We work locally-global™, teaching citizens, organizations, corporations, and governments how to use design to solve complex, wicked problems.
Known works to empower citizens, organizations, corporations, and governments to solve their own problems and make their ideas a reality.
We split our activities between:
commissioned projects, self-supportive initiatives, and convivial collaborations.
“Society’s mediating structures - education, finance, healthcare - must be completely rethought and transformed.”
(Restakis, 2010)
Known believes in the true emancipatory potential of merging design practice, local knowledge, and technology.
All social phenomena are the product of network interactions. Understanding this helps us identify and solve problems at the root cause.
See the world not only as it is, but how it could be.
We work with (not for) citizens, communities, and organizations helping them to take control of circumstances that directly affect their everyday lives.
Design itself cannot solve all the world’s problems, neither can it continue to be part of the problem.
Our capabilities are focused within three general areas:
Contemporary civil society and its engagement with the Social, Public, and Private Sectors;
Emerging issues in society – the challenges provoked by new scientific, technological, economic constructs and/or material possibilities; and
Extending the epistemological framework of design practice and the engagement with contemporary culture and the lives of its inhabitants.
Prof. Craig Alun Smith
Co-Founder & Director, Service Design
Professor Craig Alun Smith (British/Canadian) holds a Masters of Design Innovation & Citizenship from Glasgow School of Art, Scotland. His thesis focuses on the development of mathematical models to better describe and analyze the ontological discontinuities found within personhood and citizenship. As a Design Researcher, Craig brings expertise in the applied theory of Design Innovation, Emergent Technologies, Futures, and new definitions for the role of design(ers) within society. As an Industrial Designer, Craig is widely regarded as one of Canada’s most original and influential designers of the last two decades developing products and strategies for the world’s top design brands. He is credited with helping to launch the new Candian design vernacular. As an Expert Advisor, Craig served on the board of The National Design Sector Working Group (TTC-CGS), reporting directly to the Deputy Assistant Minister of the Department of Canadian Heritage on the development of international trade policies and export strategies. As a Professor and Educator, Craig has taught and lectured at universities globally including Eton College where he was recently invited to deliver the keynote speech on the Future of Design Education in the UK. Craig is currently a Professor of Design at Savannah College of Art and Design, USA.
Let’s work together.
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P 1 678 689 4103Known Service Design
2 E Bryan St., Suite 510
Savannah, GA 31401
USA