Embracing
Transformation
“It’s about creating the right relationship to change. How does one transform oneself in order to bring about that transformation?”
At SuperDeep Studio, we’re passionate about people. Learning from and about people, hearing their stories, understanding their motivations and decisions, only deepens our passion and curiosity. It fuels our practice of service design, through which we orchestrate and connect experiences that strengthen people’s relationships with brands.
It’s rewarding work and we’re privileged to undertake it each day. But we’ve found that the passion for people that draws us to service design also compels us to go deeper: to challenge existing societal paradigms and shift existing systems.
For us, taking on social challenges requires growing our education and finding appropriate ways to participate in change-making efforts. We’re focusing our energy on three main goals.
Focusing Energy on Social Challenges
Unlearn and relearn practices according to equity and justice principles. This work helps us avoid perpetuating harm with our tools and processes. We do this individually and as a team, through continuing education programs and bringing in expert partners like Nelda Reyes from AB Culture Advisors.
Build partnerships with people and organizations working toward systems change. Our IDSA award-winning work with the National Center for Youth Law gives us a proof-of-concept (and so much excitement and hope) for the potential of these types of partnerships.
Continue to donate a portion of our yearly revenue. To racial justice community organizations that our team members bring forward. Sharing for accountability, not congratulations: in the past year SuperDeep has made donations to Don'tShootPDX, VERA Institute of Justice, Inneract Project, LGBTQ Freedom Fund, Imagine Black, Equitable Giving Circle, Black Mamas Matter and BEAM.
Focusing energy on social challenges makes us increasingly aware of how everything we and our clients do ripples through the systems we participate in. Which, in turn, makes us increasingly motivated to ensure those ripples make positive impacts.
Rippling Toward Systems Change
“ Today’s problems are yesterday’s solutions.”
The practice and philosophies of Systems Change, while newer to our studio, are not new. We’re turning to the thinkers, educators, and innovators in the space to help us learn new skills and transform our practice.
We’ve explored system diagnosis. This process allows us to consider challenges holistically and view them through different lenses, with an understanding of the interconnections and flows that constitute system dynamics.
We’ve developed skills in system mapping. Systems mapping allows us to create a shared visual language that sparks new thinking and discussion with stakeholders in the system.
The expansiveness of Systems Change thinking has the potential to make us more aware of leverage points and how we’re using them. This can equip us to intervene responsibly and avoid unintended consequences.
We’re only a few of the many people currently challenging themselves and their practices to grow. We’re grateful to and inspired by everyone who’s greeting this time of transformation as a chance to have new conversations and collaborate toward meaningful change.
If that’s you, please reach out. We’d love to work together.
