The theme of Icograda’s Design Week in Vancouver was Design Currency: Defining the Value of Design. Rethink developed the identity and campaign for the event, with a focus on creating a tangible way to calculate design’s value.

The first step was the creation of the symbol for Design Currency, a mark that can be used by anyone when assigning value to a piece of design. The campaign also included print pieces, a flipbook-style video, and an interactive mobile web application called the Design Currency Counter.

The Design Currency Counter is a digital hub where users can explore what criteria they use to judge design, such as beauty, sustainability, or results. They can then rate work based on those attributes as well as upload work for others to judge. The site collects the data, calculates the average value allocated to pieces and visualizes that value in data charts.

While Design Week in Vancouver is over, the site lives on as a legacy project for designers and non-designers alike to continue defining and debating the qualities that give design value. Because the more we understand those qualities, the more design can impact communication, culture, and commerce.

Create a profile and start your own dialogue at www.designcurrencycounter.com

Vancouver’s Design Week was presented by the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC) in partnership with Icograda.