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We all leave our mark on the world, why not make it a beautiful one?

From our founding in 2013 onwards, we have always strived to create positive impact wherever we tread. Through the power of our creative community, we have embarked on countless collaborations designing systems towards a sustainable and regenerative world.

Our commitment to people and the planet was solidified when we became a B Corp in 2021. The B Corp framework has allowed us to truly measure the impact we are having in the world whilst remaining accountable to one another, humanity and the very natural ecosystems that give us life.

Throughout the last year or so, we have also been delving deep into exploring our impact potential in more detail.
The Impact Compass: A Growing Framework for Measuring Impact Opportunities

We have pondered on how we might be able to create a greater positive impact on ourselves as an organization, our client work, as well as “people and the planet”. This is a daunting and hefty challenge for most creative organizations, best captured in the question:

“How might we measure the impact
(and impact potential) of design?”

As an answer to this question, we created “The Impact Compass: A Growing Framework for Measuring Impact Opportunities”, a building block to support us in defining, measuring, and continuously improving our transformative projects. It is for this very reason that we also wanted to share this framework with you—so that we can all generate a greater impact, together.

Feel free to use, explore and share this open-source canvas by accessing our Miroverse template on the right. To download the PDF directly, follow this link.

Finally, we are striving to ensure that the actions we take align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); it is up to us as a global community to work towards achieving these goals. They should not be afterthoughts.

Instead, they should be embedded within all our projects,
events, and processes.

no
poverty

ZERO
HUNGER

good
health and wellbeıng

QUALITY
EDUCATION

GENDER
EQUALITY

CLEAN
WATER AND SANITATION

AFFORDABLE
CLEAN
ENERGY

DECENT
WORK AND
ECONOMIC
GROWTH

INDUSTRY INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

REDUCED
INEQUALITIES

SUSTAINABLE
CITIES AND
COMMUNITIES

RESPONSIBLE
CONSUMPTION
AND
PRODUCTION

CLIMATE
ACTION

LIFE
BELOW
WATER

LIFE ON
LAND

PEACE AND
JUSTICE
STRONG
INSTITUTIONS

PARTNERSHIP
FOR THE
GOALS

Below are just a few of the initiatives we have taken over the years to be a force for good for people and the planet.

We are committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Visual Design for Impact
Visual Design for Impact

How can we best convey our ideas, solutions, and recommendations in a digestible way that also evokes emotions? The power of visual communication.

Revolutionizing Events: A Guide to Creating Impactful Experiences
Revolutionizing Events: A Guide to Creating Impactful Experiences

Creating inclusive and diverse events is more than just a trend – it’s a necessity.

Moving beyond safe spaces towards brave spaces
Moving beyond safe spaces towards brave spaces

We all want to work—and live—in safe environments; in places (both physical and digital) that make us feel like we belong, and that we are not being discriminated against. We also desire to be able to be together in “brave spaces”.

Let’s talk identity
Let’s talk identity

The “Identity Wheel” exercise is one that can really help us reflect upon ourselves. For one of our recent JEDI community events, we utilized this exercise to explore our identities together.

(Why) are VR Spaces the most accessible ones?
(Why) are VR Spaces the most accessible ones?

With all this talk of the Metaverse, and “virtual spaces”, it’s only natural that we’ll be exploring “ways of being” in these spaces. One aspect of virtual worlds that is sometimes left behind in discussions is with regards do how accessible they can be—and how they can act as freeing spaces for people with disabilities.

Know your people
Know your people

Taking the time to know a bit more about the people who are in your organisation or who are on your project teams is important. Who are they outside of work?

Where do we go from here?
Where do we go from here?

In January, the DEI coalition at the kyu collective (which ATÖLYE is a part of) organised four different DEI events—”moments”—over three days. The final moment, which ATÖLYE co-hosted, focused on “The Future of DEI at kyu”. The question we asked was “Where do we go from here?”

Emergency Response: Designathon
Emergency Response: Designathon

August 2021 saw the worst wildfire season in Turkey’s history, with hundreds of square kilometers of forest burned near the country’s Mediterranean coast. Realizing the urgency of the situation, ATÖLYE organized a designathon in partnership with imece and teyit.org to design effective methods against wildfires in Turkey and support the ongoing fight.

“We are committed to becoming Net Zero —but more importantly, we are committed to creating sustainable systems through regenerative approaches.”

SOURCE

ATÖLYE’s Climate Justice Policy

CLIMATE COMMITMENTS

Becoming Net Zero by 2030 through offsetting our carbon emissions yearly from 2022 onwards. Every year we will calculate our company emissions and strive to offset them according to Oxford Principles.

Measuring our impact on the environment through the B Corp Impact Assessment framework and the SDG Action manager every 3 years, as well as creating action plans to counter negative impacts every year based on our assessments.

Using “Impact Compass” framework before starting projects with the aim to assess the potential positive impact we’ll have on the environment as well as utilize green design principles in our projects with more intention.

Driving the conversation forward in the EMEA region towards through advocacy via work, diligently engaging with impact-focused businesses, and sharing resources and know-how on our People & Planet microsite.

Developing our sustainability agenda through working with partners and stakeholders that are also committed to people & the planet; co-designing solutions to complex challenges through impactful projects (at least 1 per year).

Organizing at least one internal yearly training session for community and team members to empower them to become "climate protectors”.

Organizing at least one public event through implementing “green event design principles” with our new JEDI Events Policy or attending an climate-related event or conference, to not only raise awareness but drive change towards a Planet-friendly world.

Meeting monthly with other kyu companies and collaborating to solve the most pressing wicked "climate problems" through the official kyu climate coalition.

Using sustainable materials and food for gatherings, events and organizations that are designed in our physical spaces through revisiting our supply & procurement practices as well as our venue operations policies; creating systems for more effective & efficient recycling.

Being an activist company when it comes to issues surrounding climate justice; supporting responses to emergency situations for the environment in the regions we live through mobilizing our community and network as well as partnering with local organizations.

Let’s come back, down to Earth.

ATÖLYE partners with Lune to offset carbon emissions and leave a greener impact on the world!

Designing this microsite has been an experiment for us. We have strived to create a zine-like space for exploration and inspiration; a place where we could share resources and insights with the wider world. In essence, this page serves as a testament to transforming our website into a more sustainable digital touchpoint by still protecting our corporate identity elements. Moving forward, we hope to further these practices within our own sustainable design practices.

Any emissions of this website will be offset through our partnership with Lune. All images have been created using AI generation by Dall.E 2.