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Preserving Progress: Why Public Service Innovation Matters Now More Than Ever

Wrap-Up: 10

Author

Robert Vidaure
November 29, 2024

With a new administration coming into office, there is a lot of uncertainty about what public services might be on the chopping block. Agencies like the U.S. Digital Service have spent the last decade improving public services and changing our government’s technology approach.

Let this moment remind us that the future of public services isn’t just a policy debate—it’s a moral commitment to improving lives, fostering trust in government, and delivering smarter, more effective public services to those who need them most.

ARTICLES

Public Satisfaction with Government Services Hits Highest Mark in Seven Years, Survey Finds

The findings come as federal workers face great uncertainty with a new administration coming.

Plea for Help for Joshua Trees

By the end of the century, several impacts are expected to decimate the iconic Joshua tree, with wildfires leading the pack followed by climate change, drought, invasive species, pollution, nitrogen, solar energy industries and real estate development.

The Dos and Don’ts of Civic Branding

People think of a brand as the name of a consumer product, such as Budweiser or Tide, or the name of a company, such as Target. However, cities also have brands.

BOOKS

Design as Art
by Bruno Munari

Munari insisted that design be beautiful, functional and accessible, and this enlightening and highly entertaining book sets out his ideas about visual, graphic and industrial design and the role it plays in the objects we use everyday.

Parks 2
by Standards Manual

Parks 2, the second volume in our Parks series, is a brand new collection of over 300 United States National Park maps and brochures documented by photographer Brian Kelley.

PODCASTS

Civic Tech Chat

A podcast covering the space where technology and the public interest meet.

Creativity, leadership, and hard truths about the design industry

In this honest conversation, Lisa shares her journey through the creative industry, discussing her experience leading major rebranding efforts.

PROJECTS

Burnaby Lake Branding

Burnaby Lake by Create Properties is a 14-acre mixed-use master-planned community in Burnaby designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects. Burnaby Lake offers human-scale architecture surrounded by nature. Burnaby Lake will provide 127,000 square feet of green space with 3,700 new homes. Vanderbrand developed a name, brand strategy, and brand identity for Burnaby Lake that reflects its emphasis on the surrounding landscape. The name and identity embody Burnaby Lake’s values of sustainability, community, and connection. A visual system of geometric icons represents key characteristics of the area..

Agency: Vanderbrand

Harris for President Website & Branding

Dan Mall and D.C.-based agency Wide Eye recently collaborated on the website design and visual branding for the Harris presidential campaign. Wide Eye is a digital-first creative agency specializing in design, branding, and websites for change-makers & visionaries. They help people do the most good, catalyze positive change, and drive measurable impact.

Agency: Wide Eye & Dan Mall

RESOURCES

An Intro to Designing Accessible Data Visualizations

10 dos and don'ts to keep in mind when designing accessible data visualizations by Sarah L. Fossheim.

Breaking into Civic Tech

General tips, books, organizations, and other resources put together by Chris Kuang, co-founder and deputy director of the U.S. Digital Corps.

EVENTS

Advancing Service Design 2024
December 3-4, 2024 | Virtual

Service design works with many materials, but systems are the critical boundary we must push on to advance its practice. At Advancing Service Design 2024, we’ll explore the role of service design in expanding and enriching the systems that shape our organizations and our world.

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