DesignWISE: Create to Regenerate

DesignWISE introduces a 360-degree, regenerative approach to design development. Bringing together designers, thinkers and changemakers and moving beyond linear processes, combining design thinking, systemic leadership, and earth-based wisdom traditions to foster reflection, intentional action and a deeper, more sustainable way of shaping change.

DesignWISE is an invitation to rethink the role of design in a time of profound change for humanity. We need to shift our perspective from people to planet; understand that we have to stop viewing the world primarily from a human vantage point but in connection and accordance with nature.We need to engage on equal terms with the planet and the many species and life forms that we share it with, rather than continuing to place human concerns at the centre of production and development. This is far more radical than it may sound. It requires us to be able to stay with the trouble, understand and explain the new conditions and develop visions of a sustainable society worth dreaming of. This expanded understanding can be described as ‘radical planetary empathy’. It is radical because it shifts the centre. The well-being of the planet is not a mere framework condition but a stakeholder in relation to design decisions and sustainability. It represents a fundamental shift in perspective that turns our gaze away from human needs alone and makes the well-being of Earth our primary concern.

Ida Engholm is Professor of Design History and Theory at the Royal Danish Academy and author of several books, including the influential Design for the New World: From Human Design to Planet Design (Intellect Books, 2023).

Lotte Borg is an architect, design facilitator, and Senior Consultant at South Denmark Health Innovation.

Brian Frandsen is a strategic designer, design facilitator, and external lecturer at the Royal Danish Academy.

Christina Funder is Teaching Associate Professor at the Royal Danish Academy.

Henriette Melchiorsen is Teaching Associate Professor at the Royal Danish Academy.

DesignWISE challenges the linear logic that has long shaped design practice. Too often, we move from brief to solution without pausing to understand the wider consequences of our choices or the systemic relations they affect. In doing so, we overlook opportunities for deeper, regenerative change.

This book introduces DesignWISE as a 360-degree alternative—a circular decision-making tool grounded in design thinking, systemic leadership, and indigenous wisdom traditions. Rather than progressing step by step, DesignWISE invites designers, leaders, and teams into a continuous cycle of reflection, evaluation, and renewal.

At the centre of the method is a wheel: a structure inspired by the medicine wheel, encouraging holistic awareness, multiple perspectives, and a stronger connection between inner intention and outer impact. Each phase of the wheel opens a space for introspection, imagination, and responsibility, helping us understand how our decisions resonate across people, organisations, and the planet.

DesignWISE ultimately argues that meaningful transformation begins within. By cultivating presence, curiosity, and mindfulness, we can unlock new sources of insight and move beyond conventional approaches to design. This book offers both a conceptual framework and a practical guide for anyone seeking to design with greater wisdom, depth, and planetary awareness.

The DesignWISE Collective brings together designers, thinkers, and changemakers who believe in design as a force for systemic transformation. We’re here to co-create a new paradigm for design—one that begins not with the user, but with the planet.