Designing Through the Storm: Holding the Line for Public Good

Issue 013

Author

Robert Vidaure
April 11, 2025

It’s been difficult to watch so many committed civic design, tech, and public service professionals lose their jobs due to DOGE cuts. Yet in the face of this adversity, countless individuals have come together—organizing protests, sharing resources, and continuing their work to ensure that meaningful projects, research, and services move forward despite out-of-touch executive orders.

In times like these, it’s easy to feel discouraged, but it’s in these very moments that our collective strength shines brightest. Our communities’ resilience, creativity, and solidarity are powerful reminders that meaningful change doesn’t stop with a signature or a setback. It lives on in the work we do, the people we support, and the future we continue to build together. Let’s keep showing up, speaking out, and creating with purpose—because the work matters, and so do we.

–Robert  🤝

ARTICLES

#AltGov: the secret network of federal workers resisting Doge from the inside

Government employees fight the Trump administration’s chaos by organizing and publishing information on Bluesky

Human-Centered Design Through AI-Assisted Usability Testing: Reality Or Fiction?

Eduard Kuric discusses the significance and role of context in the creation of relevant follow-up questions for unmoderated usability testing, how an AI tasked with interactive follow-up should be validated for its capability to incorporate such context, and what the potential — along with the risks — of AI interaction in usability testing.

When You Should (and Shouldn’t) Rebrand

A rebrand can be a powerful way to further your mission, garner more engagement and support, re-energize your team, and transform your organization. Make sure you’re doing it at the right time.

BOOKS

Reimagined Worlds: Narrative Placemaking for People, Play, and Purpose
by Margaret Kerrison

In Reimagined Worlds: Narrative Placemaking for People, Play, and Purpose, Margaret Chandra Kerrison presents an indispensable manifesto, compelling designers of environments and experiences to embrace a people-centered approach fueled by intentional narratives.

Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design
by Charles MontgomeryCharles Montgomery's Happy City is revolutionizing the way we think about urban life. After decades of unchecked sprawl, more people than ever are moving back to the city. Dense urban living has been prescribed as a panacea for the environmental and resource crises of our time.

AGENCY SPOTLIGHT

Cosmic
Cosmic is a creative agency dedicated to empowering social impact organizations by crafting compelling brand narratives and developing dynamic digital experiences. They specialize in translating an organization’s mission into distinctive visual identities and human-centered messaging that resonate with target audiences. By designing and developing custom websites and digital platforms, Cosmic enables organizations to engage their communities effectively and drive real-world action. Their strategic approach ensures that social impact brands stand out in the attention economy, fostering meaningful connections and inspiring sustained support.

PROJECTS

City of Cambridge

Nimblebot partnered with the City of Cambridge to create a new visual identity that reflects the city’s values of inclusivity, diversity, and innovation. The project included a vibrant logo, updated typography, a flexible color palette, and a custom illustration library representing local landmarks and communities. They also redesigned the city’s website for better accessibility and produced explainer videos and templates to ensure consistent communication across departments.

Agency: Nimblebot

The Uncensored Library

The Uncensored Library – The digital home of press freedom. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) opens “The Uncensored Library” – Within a computer game. In many countries, free information is hard to access. Blogs, newspapers and websites are censored but Minecraft is still accessible. RSF used this backdoor to build “The Uncensored Library". A library filled with books, containing articles that were censored in their country of origin. These articles are now available again for young people around the world – hidden from government surveillance technology inside a computer game.

Agency: DDB

RESOURCES

Civic Tech Field Guide

The Civic Tech Field Guide is the world’s most complete collection of projects, tools, and organizations using tech for democracy. It’s primarily a crowdsourced directory where you can find helpful resources and inspiration, and share your own work with the world. We also publish research and regular updates about the state of the field.

Designing Maps for Colorblind Readability

There are an estimated 350 million people in the world with color vision deficiency. That is roughly 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women who are color blind. Statistically speaking the average person may know at least 25 people who are color blind.

EVENTS

Global Placemaking Summit
June 8–11, 2025

The Global Placemaking Summit in Toronto is a unique opportunity to learn from, support, and shape the global placemaking movement. The Summit will be hosted by leaders and an amazing local team of Toronto Placemaking leaders and organizations working in collaboration with Placemaking Canada and PlacemakingX.

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The Civic Designer is a newsletter dedicated to exploring the impact of Civic Design. It is a collection of curated stories and resources designed to inspire and educate designers and public sector communicators who are passionate about shaping the public sphere and empowering our communities.

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