Civilization is a recent winner of one of the nation's highest accolades - the prestigious National Design Award in the category of Communication Design from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. The studio was recognized for the powerful work coming out of their new agency model.
Civilization is a small, passionate team with a shared belief in tirelessly fighting for the betterment of society through education, social responsibility, arts + culture, public health, and civic engagement. The practice is centered around designing inclusive experiences that inspire, educate, and create meaningful connections. This commitment to ethos-driven work and public programming is a new model for other agencies and fellow creatives.
"We recognize that design is a powerful tool for transformation," commented Gabriel Stromberg, Co-Founder & Creative Director at Civilization. "That through design, you can create value, perception, connection, and ultimately action. It creates a platform that provides the ability to communicate talking points that can unite people in a time of dissidence."
Building and fostering community is an integral part of their mission. Civilization regularly produces a series of public programs that celebrates the diverse history of design, which both informs their practice and inspires their work. These endeavors bring together local and global design communities to explore their shared beliefs, stimulate conversation, and discover solutions that strengthen the community and help affect change. These integral parts of their practice include a not-for-profit lecture series that brings world-famous designers such as Paula Scher, Kenya Hara, Emory Douglas, Experimental Jetset, and Stefan Sagmeister to public venues to speak for free; an interview podcast series; and their own public gallery, where they showcase prominent works of graphic design, including their first show co-curated with design legend Milton Glaser.
Some of the studio's work involves a variety of socially responsible causes committed to and leading the fight against our nation's-and world's-most pressing issues, such as Reproductive Rights, Drugs & Addiction, Homelessness, Climate Action, Prison Reform, and Education. Recent projects include Shout Your Abortion, a platform where people can share their personal stories to help remove the stigma; Drugs Over Dinner, a platform encouraging compassionate conversations around drug and alcohol addiction; Farestart, a job training program helping to raise people out of homelessness and poverty; The Nature Conservancy, the world's leading conservation organization working to protect our environment; the National Head Start Association, an organization committed to giving every vulnerable child an opportunity to succeed; and The 2018 Biennale of Sydney, Australia's largest and longest running contemporary art event that takes place over three months at multiple venues throughout the city.
Photo: Courtesy of Civilization