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Collection

 

The M21D study collection includes design, created since 2000, that our researchers examine for its impacts on people and the environment. The museum advances a broad definition of design, including digital interfaces, synthetic biology, and strategies for social activism.​

AFRICA BY DESIGN

Society

AFRICA BY DESIGN

AFRICA BY DESIGN is a non-profit organization that focuses on generating attention and support for the design practices of often-overlooked places and peoples.

AIR–INK®

Environment

AIR–INK®

This water-resistant, industry-compliant black ink offers a fossil-free alternative to other commercial black inks, which can be used in existing production lines.

BIQ House

Environment

BIQ House

That green skin comprises algae and the mechanical systems necessary to convert and integrate their biorhythms into the energy system of the building.

Bastøy Prison Island

Society

Bastøy Prison Island

Norway reimagined what happens to people after they commit violent crimes. Bastøy Prison Island is home to dozens of men who are learning to take responsibility for their lives via farming, swimming, education, and communal living.

Bokashi Composting System

Environment

Bokashi Composting System

A simple at-home composting method for people living in small spaces helps to decrease food waste and creates a source of high-quality soil.

Cancerfonden Education Campaign

Society

Cancerfonden Education Campaign

A design for an online campaign that facilitated debate about censorship and the sexualization of bodies.

Designer's Critical Alphabet

Society

Designer's Critical Alphabet

The Designer’s Critical Alphabet (DCA) helps design students and professional designers create work that serves more people, especially people commonly pushed to the side by dominant power structures.

EU Directive on Single-Use Plastics

Environment

EU Directive on Single-Use Plastics

85% of Europe’s saltwater beaches and seas exceed standards for marine litter. In response, the European Union began regulating Single Use Plastic (SUP) and, in 2021, enacted the Directive on SUPs.

Enby

Society

Enby

In 2019, the sex toy company Wild Flower released the Enby, a vibrator designed to appeal to users across and without genders and to suit various bodies.

Ethique

Environment

Ethique

These designs lessen environmental impact and boost accessibility to eco-friendly products, enabling millions to easily eliminate harmful ingredients from their lives.

Extinction Rebellion Logo

Environment

Extinction Rebellion Logo

XR’s logo represents extinction, and its simplicity makes the logo easy to identify and reuse.

Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Society

Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

It is estimated that four million people die from causes attributed to tobacco every year. The FCTC is an effort of the World Health Organization (WHO) to decrease the use of tobacco.

FreshPaper

Environment

FreshPaper

At least 931 million tons of food is wasted every year and 8-10% of global carbon emissions are linked to unconsumed produce. FreshPaper is positioned to help fight food waste, especially food waste created in the home.

GreenWave 3D Ocean Farm

Environment

GreenWave 3D Ocean Farm

Climate change's impacts on the oceans isn't limited to melting ice shields; the ocean's rapid change in temperature, chemistry, and storm patterns diminish the seafood supplies that humans rely on. GreenWave offers a system of ocean farms, education, and funding opportunities that keep humans working, fed, and in community while reclaiming the environment.

Kelsun

Environment

Kelsun

Kelsun(TM) yarn is derived from kelp for luxury and mass-produced textile products.

Menstrual cup

Environment

Menstrual cup

Menstrual cups are reusable, made of safe materials, and available on the mass market.

Metrocable

Society

Metrocable

The project, named Metrocable, led by Metro de Medellín, was designed to connect isolated communities, that had suffered geographic and institutional neglect, with the city center.

Mifepristone + Misoprostol

Society

Mifepristone + Misoprostol

Medication abortions allow people to terminate pregnancies in the privacy and comfort of their home, making the healthcare procedure far more attainable than in-clinic procedures.

Nokia 1100 Mobile Phone

Society

Nokia 1100 Mobile Phone

In 2011, Nokia announced it had sold more than 250 million phones. It remains the world’s best-selling mobile phone by the number of units sold.

Occupy Movement Hand Signals

Society

Occupy Movement Hand Signals

These hand signals resulted from the desire to facilitate an inclusive form of consensus-building that helped produce positive social change.

Rights of Nature

Environment

Rights of Nature

The Rights of Nature is a category of legislation intended to acknowledge and defend the rights of ecosystems to exist and flourish by giving people the authority to petition on the behalf of nature, and requiring the government to provide mechanisms of prevention and remedy when violations of these rights occur.

SMS Apps for Low-Tech Phones

Society

SMS Apps for Low-Tech Phones

People and companies identified SMS technology as an opportunity to expand the features of low-tech phones.

Sky Urban Vertical Farming System

Environment

Sky Urban Vertical Farming System

The length and method of transportation contributes to the production of greenhouse gasses. The Sky Urban Vertical Farming System works to counter the poor impact of both land production and transportation.

The Paper Razor

Environment

The Paper Razor

Kai’s Paper Razor comes with an all-paper body and metal blade head. Designed to be flat-packed, the single-use razor comes completely unfolded and can easily be put together in a matter of seconds by merely folding in the sides and the top to create a rigid, ergonomic razor with a grippy handle.

The Yes Men

Society

The Yes Men

The Yes Men spotlights prevalent social issues using unexpected and unusual tactics.

Warwick Junction

Society

Warwick Junction

Warwick Junction's labyrinth of stalls, arches, bridges, and aisles contain everything anyone in South Africa could need. The junction serves more than 460,000 people and 38,000 vehicles daily and covers more space than any other junction in South Africa.

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