This is the best thing that I’ve ever done

— holly priest, participant

My Role

Project Director

Project Duration

One Week

Problem

In Rio de Janeiro we were enchanted with a spectacular landscape that included world famous beaches, mountains and monuments, but most of all—we enjoyed meeting the free-spirited Cariocas, our Brazilian friends!

We partnered with the talented students and faculty of the Escola Superior de Desenho Industrial (ESDI), the oldest design college in South America, and Agência, Redes Para a Juventude (The Network Agency for Youth). Together we were tasked with partnering with budding entrepreneurs from poor communities called "favelas" to create innovative solutions to their branding and service design needs. Our goal was to help them achieve a successful launch in their respective industries.

Charme Favela: This Afro-Brazilian fashion apparel collection and online retail business that is designed, produced and operated by talented Batan residents. Its goal is to inspire community togetherness and pride in the history and beauty of black culture. Strategic problems included…

• Low brand awareness

• Lack of a marketing budget

• Lack of partners

• Lack of a retail space

CineBatan: An organization that provides free film screenings in private homes and public spaces throughout the community of Batan. It includes informative live introductions and post-show discussions with the audience, hosted and moderated by its members. This cultural opportunity is a first for many Batan residents. Strategic problems included…

• Team recruitment and engagement (internal)

• Community engagement (external)

• Physical space (access to a dedicated space in which to screen movies)

• Structural operation (access to films and equipment)

• Marketing (partnership, sponsorship and funding)

Descolados: Through an appealing Funk/Hip Hop musical style, meaningful lyrics, and amazing dance moves Descolados aims to inspire younger generations of Batan residents. These musicians tell the story of their experiences and perception towards life with a positive spin. Strategic problems included…

• Low profit margins

• Music distribution

Notas Viajantes: The goal of this project is to create and present a movie to the youth of Batan that has an ennobling message and unique perspective on the history of their community and its people. Notas Viajantes plans to create similar movies for other favelas in the hopes of inspiring respect and unity between all. Strategic problems included…

• The quality of communication (internal and external) must be improved

• The organizational structure of the team must be strengthened

• They must increase brand awareness in the community and within the film industry

Approach

We immersed ourselves into the favelas in order to collect qualitative field research through observational and participatory methods of data collection. The youthful entrepreneurs, their friends and members community came out to greet us. Agência representatives were embedded throughout the process, making it a fully collaborative and co-creative research experience.

The diversity of our 30 person team of service designers and communications designers allowed us to serve all of our client teams. Together we analyzed secondary and primary research, before establishing design criteria and a scope of solutions. 

We worked at the historic ESDI campus where although the wi-fi was intermittent, the talent was on full blast! Also, biscoito globo and other delicious Brazilian treats were in great supply!

Solution

We presented prototypes and plans at LAJE, a highly respected design consultancy located in downtown Rio. After I gave a lecture on the power of social design, our team presented branding and service design prototypes. During the presentation I achieved a personal goal when one of our clients began to cry tear of joy!

Result

The projects live on in the lives of the young entrepreneurs who received design services that they needed and deserved. They learned to work with business and design professionals and how to position products and services in the minds of consumers. This will lead to future successes in whatever professions they ultimately choose. There were also key learnings and intrinsic outcomes as we:

• gathered a diverse team to collaborate through project-based learning

• connected like-minded groups that co-created solutions to complex social problems

• applied human centered design methods within a immersive journey

• recorded, shared and leveraged collective knowledge

• harvested collective ideas and prototyped them as potential solutions

OBRIGADO “THANK YOU” (The following message was shared by the team leaders)

We believe that change is difficult but not impossible. Passion is the driving force of change. Together we show that actions are greater than words. We must step out of our comfort zones—that’s all it takes to begin. Our actions inspire others—this strength makes us all stronger.

Together we listen, then give of ourselves as we breathe life into important and effective design solutions for those who have fewer resources. Because of that, we believe that they will be given the strength to change and improve their own lives. By working in unity, we empower others to change reality for the better, with passion and design. With little, we change the world.

This is all what Project Resound is about. We want to say thank you so much for believing in us. Project Resound Rio was a success, and surely you have been a part of it!