News
The Paths Ahead: DVXD is now With
The Paths Ahead: DVXD is now With
The Paths Ahead: DVXD is now With
Derek Vaz
Derek Vaz
—
Jan 30, 2025
As of this week, DVXD will be known as With. This change represents our deepened commitment to co-design as a transformative tool to reimagine better, shared futures.
As of this week, DVXD will be known as With. This change represents our deepened commitment to co-design as a transformative tool to reimagine better, shared futures.
As of this week, DVXD will be known as With. This change represents our deepened commitment to co-design as a transformative tool to reimagine better, shared futures.
As of this week, DVXD will be known as With. This change represents our deepened commitment to co-design as a transformative tool to reimagine better, shared futures.
The decision to become With involved more than just a name change. Like the brand and experience work we develop with our partners, With was born out of a clarified and collective definition of our studio’s purpose in what is a consequential moment for the organizations we work alongside.
Building on the last six and a half years of the change we have contributed to as DVXD, our transition to With reflects our founding focus, how we are maturing to meet today’s challenges, and the shared experience among our team and partners that better futures are built together.
How it Started: From User Centricity to Socially-Centred Design
DVXD started in 2018 to explore design as a tool to create shared progress for our partners and society.
Reconnecting with the promise of design and technology to benefit everyone, we committed to shifting from user-centricity to what we called, social-centricity, in our approach to solving the challenges of our partners.
Over our careers, much of our work in design has focused on user-centricity: meeting the unmet needs of individuals to drive engagement, adoption, and mutual benefit of our clients and their customers.
However, over time, it became clear that focusing on individuals without considering the broader systems in which we live was exacerbating larger issues — like overconsumption, labour exploitation, and the climate crisis.
Adopting socially-centered design was an acknowledgement that individual actions, experiences, and decisions are shaped by larger forces—economic, environmental, cultural, and political.
DVXD was our first commitment to create outcomes that don’t just positively impact our partners and their audience, but also the communities and ecosystems they are a part of.
The Power of Co-Design
Bringing socially-centered design to life started by simply inviting more people and perspectives into the process, starting with our partners.
Since its inception, our studio has worked with a broad range of inspiring leaders, each with a deep passion for reimagining what’s possible for their community and society.
From connecting news to civic engagement alongside a Nobel Prize-winning journalist to working with a locally-focused designer to envision more sustainable travel, to supporting safer migration with both a non-profit and a legal tech startup, we worked hand in hand with our partners and their audiences. Together, we shaped bold ideas into transformative platforms, stories, and services.
Along the way, we have integrated learnings from traditional and emerging approaches to co-creation - inclusive of community organizing, Design Justice, and numerous perspectives on participatory design methods. Community-focused design has since became our north star for the strategy and outcomes we help shape with our partners.
By intentionally empowering people who are impacted by the outcomes we co-create, we gain a greater perspective and more salient ideas. In contrast to the ‘move fast and break things’ approach, co-design creates more effective digital products, services and brands that reduce harm and increase shared prosperity.
Designing in Systems
Building on those learnings, With was initially conceived as a community initiative to invite diverse voices into conversations about how we tackle pressing social issues, like housing and sustainable living.
Those discussions exemplify the interconnected nature of the challenges we face today — spanning extreme climate events, growing wealth inequality, rising nationalism, public health emergencies, the rapid proliferation of AI, and ongoing global conflicts.
A clear example of interconnected crises is how climate policy shapes migration and the economy. Our reliance on fossil fuels worsens the climate crisis, displacing communities affected by extreme weather. Migration, often politicized as a burden, is then blamed for straining already constrained resources, shaping restrictive policies that impact housing, food supply, and the cost of living. Rising costs, in turn, make it harder to transition away from fossil fuels—creating a reinforcing cycle that demands systemic solutions rather than scapegoats.
Our work with two different organizations addressing different migration challenges illustrates how co-design can drive interdependent change. Matthew House, a nonprofit specializing in refugee-led resettlement solutions, and BorderPass, a startup revolutionizing immigration with safer, more efficient systems, have shown us the power of collective action. By bringing together stakeholders from refugees and policymakers to educators and employers, they are turning complex, interconnected problems, into opportunities for progress.
Tackling these complex, interrelated challenges with our partners reinforced the collective approach to design we’ve built since our inception—an approach we continue to refine with partners like Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative. Recognizing the power of co-design, we shifted away from centering the designer in our process and came together to envision future possibilities of co-design, laying the groundwork for our evolution into With.
The Paths Ahead
To build a future that is sustainable, equitable, and prosperous for everyone, our studio had to embrace our interconnected reality and reimagine how we approach the work of progress.
After gathering to discuss the possibilities of co-design, we set out last year to review, evaluate and improve almost every aspect of how our studio operates. That work began with a new, co-created Studio Charter, to reestablish our purpose, values, and the types of partners and problems we wanted to solve. As an open, living document, our charter will continue to evolve as we do.
The charter further fuelled workshops and discussions about what a renewed vision for our studio would mean and feel like. Alongside a brand exploration, we reviewed our studio operations, culminating in a new Operational Playbook and Brand System. Combined with in-person sessions to share and celebrate our new brand, the foundational pieces took shape for us to transform into With.
A Tapestry of Futures
Ultimately, With represents the idea that the future will not be shaped by a singular point of view. The future is ours to imagine countless possibilities shaped by diverse perspectives, decisions, and actions.
This belief in pluralism is foundational to our work. Whether collaborating with nonprofits or socially driven businesses, we’ve learned that the most innovative and effective solutions emerge when we empower those impacted by the challenges we seek to address.
As With grows, we are moving beyond being just a service partner to becoming a true partner in innovation, incubating co-ventures like Refraction - which builds on DEI initiatives to reveal the creative potential of inclusive organizations, and restarting the With community to foster inclusive progress. Our open charter will continue to guide us, and we will be transparent in sharing our learnings that evolve our practice.
With embodies not just how we work—with clients, communities, and partners—but also why we work: to co-create futures rooted in shared prosperity.
As an evolving practice, we’ll continue to share our successes, failures, resources and tools along our journey. Over the coming weeks we’ll share more specific details about our playbook and brand system and how they inspire and guide us. Subscribe to our Journal below to stay updated on news and resources we will share as our studio grows.
A better future is only possible when everyone is included.
The decision to become With involved more than just a name change. Like the brand and experience work we develop with our partners, With was born out of a clarified and collective definition of our studio’s purpose in what is a consequential moment for the organizations we work alongside.
Building on the last six and a half years of the change we have contributed to as DVXD, our transition to With reflects our founding focus, how we are maturing to meet today’s challenges, and the shared experience among our team and partners that better futures are built together.
How it Started: From User Centricity to Socially-Centred Design
DVXD started in 2018 to explore design as a tool to create shared progress for our partners and society.
Reconnecting with the promise of design and technology to benefit everyone, we committed to shifting from user-centricity to what we called, social-centricity, in our approach to solving the challenges of our partners.
Over our careers, much of our work in design has focused on user-centricity: meeting the unmet needs of individuals to drive engagement, adoption, and mutual benefit of our clients and their customers.
However, over time, it became clear that focusing on individuals without considering the broader systems in which we live was exacerbating larger issues — like overconsumption, labour exploitation, and the climate crisis.
Adopting socially-centered design was an acknowledgement that individual actions, experiences, and decisions are shaped by larger forces—economic, environmental, cultural, and political.
DVXD was our first commitment to create outcomes that don’t just positively impact our partners and their audience, but also the communities and ecosystems they are a part of.
The Power of Co-Design
Bringing socially-centered design to life started by simply inviting more people and perspectives into the process, starting with our partners.
Since its inception, our studio has worked with a broad range of inspiring leaders, each with a deep passion for reimagining what’s possible for their community and society.
From connecting news to civic engagement alongside a Nobel Prize-winning journalist to working with a locally-focused designer to envision more sustainable travel, to supporting safer migration with both a non-profit and a legal tech startup, we worked hand in hand with our partners and their audiences. Together, we shaped bold ideas into transformative platforms, stories, and services.
Along the way, we have integrated learnings from traditional and emerging approaches to co-creation - inclusive of community organizing, Design Justice, and numerous perspectives on participatory design methods. Community-focused design has since became our north star for the strategy and outcomes we help shape with our partners.
By intentionally empowering people who are impacted by the outcomes we co-create, we gain a greater perspective and more salient ideas. In contrast to the ‘move fast and break things’ approach, co-design creates more effective digital products, services and brands that reduce harm and increase shared prosperity.
Designing in Systems
Building on those learnings, With was initially conceived as a community initiative to invite diverse voices into conversations about how we tackle pressing social issues, like housing and sustainable living.
Those discussions exemplify the interconnected nature of the challenges we face today — spanning extreme climate events, growing wealth inequality, rising nationalism, public health emergencies, the rapid proliferation of AI, and ongoing global conflicts.
A clear example of interconnected crises is how climate policy shapes migration and the economy. Our reliance on fossil fuels worsens the climate crisis, displacing communities affected by extreme weather. Migration, often politicized as a burden, is then blamed for straining already constrained resources, shaping restrictive policies that impact housing, food supply, and the cost of living. Rising costs, in turn, make it harder to transition away from fossil fuels—creating a reinforcing cycle that demands systemic solutions rather than scapegoats.
Our work with two different organizations addressing different migration challenges illustrates how co-design can drive interdependent change. Matthew House, a nonprofit specializing in refugee-led resettlement solutions, and BorderPass, a startup revolutionizing immigration with safer, more efficient systems, have shown us the power of collective action. By bringing together stakeholders from refugees and policymakers to educators and employers, they are turning complex, interconnected problems, into opportunities for progress.
Tackling these complex, interrelated challenges with our partners reinforced the collective approach to design we’ve built since our inception—an approach we continue to refine with partners like Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative. Recognizing the power of co-design, we shifted away from centering the designer in our process and came together to envision future possibilities of co-design, laying the groundwork for our evolution into With.
The Paths Ahead
To build a future that is sustainable, equitable, and prosperous for everyone, our studio had to embrace our interconnected reality and reimagine how we approach the work of progress.
After gathering to discuss the possibilities of co-design, we set out last year to review, evaluate and improve almost every aspect of how our studio operates. That work began with a new, co-created Studio Charter, to reestablish our purpose, values, and the types of partners and problems we wanted to solve. As an open, living document, our charter will continue to evolve as we do.
The charter further fuelled workshops and discussions about what a renewed vision for our studio would mean and feel like. Alongside a brand exploration, we reviewed our studio operations, culminating in a new Operational Playbook and Brand System. Combined with in-person sessions to share and celebrate our new brand, the foundational pieces took shape for us to transform into With.
A Tapestry of Futures
Ultimately, With represents the idea that the future will not be shaped by a singular point of view. The future is ours to imagine countless possibilities shaped by diverse perspectives, decisions, and actions.
This belief in pluralism is foundational to our work. Whether collaborating with nonprofits or socially driven businesses, we’ve learned that the most innovative and effective solutions emerge when we empower those impacted by the challenges we seek to address.
As With grows, we are moving beyond being just a service partner to becoming a true partner in innovation, incubating co-ventures like Refraction - which builds on DEI initiatives to reveal the creative potential of inclusive organizations, and restarting the With community to foster inclusive progress. Our open charter will continue to guide us, and we will be transparent in sharing our learnings that evolve our practice.
With embodies not just how we work—with clients, communities, and partners—but also why we work: to co-create futures rooted in shared prosperity.
As an evolving practice, we’ll continue to share our successes, failures, resources and tools along our journey. Over the coming weeks we’ll share more specific details about our playbook and brand system and how they inspire and guide us. Subscribe to our Journal below to stay updated on news and resources we will share as our studio grows.
A better future is only possible when everyone is included.
The decision to become With involved more than just a name change. Like the brand and experience work we develop with our partners, With was born out of a clarified and collective definition of our studio’s purpose in what is a consequential moment for the organizations we work alongside.
Building on the last six and a half years of the change we have contributed to as DVXD, our transition to With reflects our founding focus, how we are maturing to meet today’s challenges, and the shared experience among our team and partners that better futures are built together.
How it Started: From User Centricity to Socially-Centred Design
DVXD started in 2018 to explore design as a tool to create shared progress for our partners and society.
Reconnecting with the promise of design and technology to benefit everyone, we committed to shifting from user-centricity to what we called, social-centricity, in our approach to solving the challenges of our partners.
Over our careers, much of our work in design has focused on user-centricity: meeting the unmet needs of individuals to drive engagement, adoption, and mutual benefit of our clients and their customers.
However, over time, it became clear that focusing on individuals without considering the broader systems in which we live was exacerbating larger issues — like overconsumption, labour exploitation, and the climate crisis.
Adopting socially-centered design was an acknowledgement that individual actions, experiences, and decisions are shaped by larger forces—economic, environmental, cultural, and political.
DVXD was our first commitment to create outcomes that don’t just positively impact our partners and their audience, but also the communities and ecosystems they are a part of.
The Power of Co-Design
Bringing socially-centered design to life started by simply inviting more people and perspectives into the process, starting with our partners.
Since its inception, our studio has worked with a broad range of inspiring leaders, each with a deep passion for reimagining what’s possible for their community and society.
From connecting news to civic engagement alongside a Nobel Prize-winning journalist to working with a locally-focused designer to envision more sustainable travel, to supporting safer migration with both a non-profit and a legal tech startup, we worked hand in hand with our partners and their audiences. Together, we shaped bold ideas into transformative platforms, stories, and services.
Along the way, we have integrated learnings from traditional and emerging approaches to co-creation - inclusive of community organizing, Design Justice, and numerous perspectives on participatory design methods. Community-focused design has since became our north star for the strategy and outcomes we help shape with our partners.
By intentionally empowering people who are impacted by the outcomes we co-create, we gain a greater perspective and more salient ideas. In contrast to the ‘move fast and break things’ approach, co-design creates more effective digital products, services and brands that reduce harm and increase shared prosperity.
Designing in Systems
Building on those learnings, With was initially conceived as a community initiative to invite diverse voices into conversations about how we tackle pressing social issues, like housing and sustainable living.
Those discussions exemplify the interconnected nature of the challenges we face today — spanning extreme climate events, growing wealth inequality, rising nationalism, public health emergencies, the rapid proliferation of AI, and ongoing global conflicts.
A clear example of interconnected crises is how climate policy shapes migration and the economy. Our reliance on fossil fuels worsens the climate crisis, displacing communities affected by extreme weather. Migration, often politicized as a burden, is then blamed for straining already constrained resources, shaping restrictive policies that impact housing, food supply, and the cost of living. Rising costs, in turn, make it harder to transition away from fossil fuels—creating a reinforcing cycle that demands systemic solutions rather than scapegoats.
Our work with two different organizations addressing different migration challenges illustrates how co-design can drive interdependent change. Matthew House, a nonprofit specializing in refugee-led resettlement solutions, and BorderPass, a startup revolutionizing immigration with safer, more efficient systems, have shown us the power of collective action. By bringing together stakeholders from refugees and policymakers to educators and employers, they are turning complex, interconnected problems, into opportunities for progress.
Tackling these complex, interrelated challenges with our partners reinforced the collective approach to design we’ve built since our inception—an approach we continue to refine with partners like Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative. Recognizing the power of co-design, we shifted away from centering the designer in our process and came together to envision future possibilities of co-design, laying the groundwork for our evolution into With.
The Paths Ahead
To build a future that is sustainable, equitable, and prosperous for everyone, our studio had to embrace our interconnected reality and reimagine how we approach the work of progress.
After gathering to discuss the possibilities of co-design, we set out last year to review, evaluate and improve almost every aspect of how our studio operates. That work began with a new, co-created Studio Charter, to reestablish our purpose, values, and the types of partners and problems we wanted to solve. As an open, living document, our charter will continue to evolve as we do.
The charter further fuelled workshops and discussions about what a renewed vision for our studio would mean and feel like. Alongside a brand exploration, we reviewed our studio operations, culminating in a new Operational Playbook and Brand System. Combined with in-person sessions to share and celebrate our new brand, the foundational pieces took shape for us to transform into With.
A Tapestry of Futures
Ultimately, With represents the idea that the future will not be shaped by a singular point of view. The future is ours to imagine countless possibilities shaped by diverse perspectives, decisions, and actions.
This belief in pluralism is foundational to our work. Whether collaborating with nonprofits or socially driven businesses, we’ve learned that the most innovative and effective solutions emerge when we empower those impacted by the challenges we seek to address.
As With grows, we are moving beyond being just a service partner to becoming a true partner in innovation, incubating co-ventures like Refraction - which builds on DEI initiatives to reveal the creative potential of inclusive organizations, and restarting the With community to foster inclusive progress. Our open charter will continue to guide us, and we will be transparent in sharing our learnings that evolve our practice.
With embodies not just how we work—with clients, communities, and partners—but also why we work: to co-create futures rooted in shared prosperity.
As an evolving practice, we’ll continue to share our successes, failures, resources and tools along our journey. Over the coming weeks we’ll share more specific details about our playbook and brand system and how they inspire and guide us. Subscribe to our Journal below to stay updated on news and resources we will share as our studio grows.
A better future is only possible when everyone is included.
——
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