The Living Principles for Design
Originally conceived by AIGA, The Living Principles for
Design were born out of the design profession's need for an
aspirational and actionable framework for integrated
sustainability-a common point of reference to which all designers
can refer. Their ongoing development is dependent on the
contributions of the design community at large.
The Living Principles for Design distill the collective wisdom
found in decades of sustainability theories and bring them to life
in the first quadruple bottom-line framework for design. They weave
together environmental protection, social
equity and economic health, but most
significantly, the Living Principles incorporate cultural
vitality. Culture is the means by which all aspects of
sustainability find their way into the fabric of society, and
culture is where designers have the deepest impact as their
creations and choices shape habits and values.
Get involved
Join the Living
Principles for Design online community, the place to co-create,
share and showcase best practices, tools, stories and ideas for
sustainable and socially responsible design across all disciplines.
Add your voice to the conversation!
You can also participate by following @LPforDesign on Twitter (add
#livingprinciples to your tweets) and “liking” The Living
Principles on Facebook.
History
The Living Principles framework is a lens that brings clarity to
integrated sustainability and makes it accessible, relevant and
ready to put into action. Developed under the guidance of the AIGA
Center for Sustainable Design, The Living Principles were
officially unveiled at the AIGA Design Conference
in Memphis in October 2009. That same month, the Icograda General
Assembly adopted
a resolution on the responsibility of designers to promote
sustainable practices and offered The Living Principles for Design
as a model framework. Delegates of communication design
associations and educators worldwide adopted the resolution
unanimously, representing a global validation of the opportunities
for the framework developed by AIGA members.
In June 2010, a new online community was launched at www.livingprinciples.org to
provide members of the global creative community with a place to
co-create, share and showcase best practices, tools, stories and
ideas for enabling sustainable action across all design
disciplines.
Presenting sponsor
As the Presenting Sponsor of The Living Principles for Design—the online community for sustainability—Mohawk Fine Papers underscores their commitment to responsibility in all aspects of design and business.