What Is Socially Responsible Design? 6 Best Practices for Designers

Most people have noticed a shift toward environmentally friendly products, locally grown food, ethical goods, and sustainable fashion, but social responsibility has also infiltrated the marketing world. As consumers’ climate and social awareness increase, socially responsible design takes center stage.

The everyday buyer wants brands and products that align with their values and prioritize people and the planet. When designers adopt social responsibility in their marketing strategy, loyal customers become more invested in their business while making a difference in the world. 

What Is Socially Responsible Design?

According to a Deloitte report, 60% and 56% of Gen Z and millennials, respectively, see systemic racism as a widespread societal issue. Their concern trickles into various aspects of their lives, including purchasing and career choices — 49% of Gen Z and 44% of millennials have chosen to work for specific companies based on individual ethics.  

Regarding climate change, 69% of Americans agree that large corporations do too little to address environmental issues. The 30% of those who list climate change as a top concern are more likely to attribute human activity to the cause. Often, they look for a company’s commitment to sustainability before throwing their support and money behind it.

Marketers understand the importance of these social issues for consumers, tailoring their strategies to encompass socially responsible design. They develop campaigns, products and services that are environmentally friendly and inclusive and influence positive social change.

Among the critical aspects of socially responsible design include using sustainable materials, reducing waste, creating for people of all backgrounds, sourcing ethically and enlisting the community in various causes. 

6 Best Design Practices for Social Responsibility

To become a socially responsible designer, one must know what best practices to follow to reach compassionate consumers. Social responsibility encompasses every bit of a strategy, from development to storytelling and execution. These six best practices are best to remember when adopting socially responsible design. 

1. Share an Authentic Narrative

Today’s consumers are highly discerning, which is why it is critical to be authentic in narrative. Authenticity builds trust — when a genuine story resonates with a consumer, it cultivates a deeper connection. 

People search for a brand’s authenticity in its messaging and aesthetics. For example, 60% of consumers are attracted or repelled by color alone. If referring to color psychology, brands might use blue, which evokes trust and security.

However, authenticity also allows brands to distinguish themselves from their competitors — particularly those that come across as inauthentic. From a socially responsible aspect, inspiring engagement through likes, comments and shares is crucial. 

2. Be Culturally Sensitive

Marketing can no longer be a one-size-fits-all approach, especially when breaking into the international market. Global enterprises must tailor their strategies to encompass cultural sensitivities — an alignment with a market’s cultural traditions, norms and values. It requires understanding and appreciation for diverse international cultures, consumer behaviors and nuances. Ultimately, a culturally sensitive brand demonstrates greater inclusivity.

Socially responsible designers want to avoid offensive designs that may receive negative public perception. In doing so, they can avoid ruining their reputation. 

One such instance was the infamous Pepsi-Kendal Jenner ad from 2017. In a glaring misstep, the ad depicts model Kendal Jenner giving a police officer a can of Pepsi during a protest, essentially to diffuse the situation and uplift. However, the ad came during anti-police-violence protests, commercializing a serious opportunity for change in exchange for notoriety and revenue.

Other brands that have missed the mark include Dove’s Real Beauty campaign, which showed a Black woman turning into a white woman after using Dove soap, and a Dolce & Gabbana ad depicting a Chinese woman eating pizza with chopsticks. 

3. Incorporate Ethical Images

Imagery is essential to any marketing campaign, but designers want to use ethical imagery to encourage positive social change or raise awareness of critical issues. For instance, they shouldn’t use photographs to exploit or manipulate people or wildlife. Instead, they should demonstrate human worth and animal welfare. 

Like cultural sensitivity, ethical imagery highlights a brand’s commitment to what’s most important. Toms has mastered social responsibility through ethical images with its One Day Without Shoes campaign — an annual initiative to donate shoes to people in developing countries. 

For its 10th anniversary in 2016, consumers only needed to upload a picture of their bare feet to Instagram with the hashtag #withoutshoes for Toms to donate a pair to someone. Before, they’d donate shoes for every purchase made. Every tagged photo went toward giving 100,000 new pairs of shoes to children in 10 countries. 

4. Design for Inclusivity

Experts believe that more than 1.3 billion people live with a disability — 15% of the world population. Likewise, people with disabilities, including their friends and family, have a combined spending power of $13 trillion. As such, this is not a group socially responsible designers want to exclude. 

Inclusive marketing and design ensure brand messaging is accessible to everyone — this entails considerations for visual and hearing impairments and motor disabilities. A socially responsible design fosters a sense of equality to create a loyal customer base with diverse backgrounds. 

5. Prioritize Digital Over Print Materials

Conventional marketing typically has a more significant environmental impact than digital approaches. Printing materials require ample paper, ink and energy, whereas a digital strategy uses social media, email and websites to reach a more eco-conscious target audience.

Digital marketing also boosts engagement with consumers in real-time and is more cost-effective. However, print materials are still necessary. Companies have explored sustainable ink to reduce the amount of chemicals in the environment. 

According to the founders of Living Ink, printing ink is 80% made from petroleum and 20% from the pigment of powdery carbon components — it has not undergone significant changes in 150 years. Living Ink is addressing this by using spirulina algae to create renewable, biodegradable, net-zero printing ink.

Another company, Resino Inks, is also developing UV LED inks — ultra-violet and light-emitting diodes — that reduce ozone emissions. They are sustainable and consume less energy than traditional ink. 

6. Stay Informed

Social and environmental trends constantly evolve, so socially responsible designers must stay abreast of consumer preferences. It’s essential to look for relevant marketing opportunities and respect different groups and values based on the times. 

Of course, staying informed also helps prevent costly missteps and negative brand reputations, often challenging for some companies to recover from. 

Use the Marketing Platform for Good

Designers have incredible reach and influence on consumers. Therefore, it is essential for them to take a stand and use their platform to benefit people and the planet. The marketing world should adopt social responsibility to drive more positive consumer behavior for a better world.