1. Graphic design
2. Information design
3. Book design
CLIENT 
 Horizon2045

TEAM
Tomiris Shyngyssova

DURATION
4 months

Framework for Change


Project summary:
The Framework for Change, written by Horizon 2045, is a guide to a new way of tackling complex problems in present-day systems by designing for the future space.

The Framework for Change (FFC) is divided into three horizons with Horizon 1 = the present, Horizon 3 = the future, and Horizon 2 = the bridge between the two. Horizon 1 focuses on defining and shaping the current system by identifying its levers of change and also understanding its weaknesses. Horizon 3 is about describing the ideal future of the system by illustrating what we want to work towards and what we want the future to look like. Lastly, Horizon 2 acts as the bridge to how we move from the present to the desired future with interventions that slowly change the behavior of the system that we are working in.

The goal of this project was to design the document as an experience to work as both an introduction to Horizon 2045’s mission and to design a system that guides a reader through the framework by making it digestible and easy to understand.



Role ︎


  • Lead User Experience Designer
  • Identified the essential information structure that drove the book structure.
  • Upheld collaborative relationships with stakeholders to keep the project on track and provide feedback opportunities.

Goals ︎


  • Design a new kind of document experience that showcases the unique, future-facing strategies of Horizon2045 and positions them as experts in the nuclear space.

Outcomes ︎


  • 500 copies were professionally printed and shared with world leaders, including the United States Vice President.






SOLUTION

Framework for Change document




 Click here for the document ︎



(A) The strategic application of Visual Identification

Tasks

︎ Break down the horizon narrative using a singular protagonist that abstract concepts can be applied

︎ Visualize and simplify the Kumu systems created by RISD’s Center for Complexity

︎ Make digesting and analyzing wicked problems easier through a book-format experience 



UNDERSTANDING

Strategy: Communicating complexity with core graphics


Utilizing the existing imagery of the systems map, our team repurposed the graphic for each Horizons to help visually describe what is happening in the Horizon and serve as a touchstone for the viewer.




Horizon 1 (the present) centers on the nuclear system. The nuclear system comprises a complex network of components and interactions, making it difficult for anyone to comprehend the whole and its parts. The goal of our Horizon 1 work is to better understand the full contours of the nuclear system — including its characteristics, the interplay between elements, the underlying beliefs and mental models that drive it, and how it is nested within and connected to other systems — to gain the information necessary to transform it.
Horizon 2 (the bridge) defines the opportunity space between the first and third horizons. It captures the types of specific interventions — big and small, rapid and long-term — that will help us to take advantage of the frailties of the current system and the opportunities presented by changes to the broader contextual landscape so that we can help move the system toward the future we prefer. Horizon 2 also includes purposeful outreach and connection, drawing decision-makers and the broader public into both the conversation and the work of building new systems for maintaining and ensuring global security.


Horizon 3 (the future) is about seeing beyond the system, building a detailed understanding of what could replace it, and how we might get there. Thinking about the broader future first and then considering the implications for the nuclear system reveals a larger canvas, highlighting a wider set of opportunities to bring about real and lasting change and to build a shared vision of a future beyond existential risks.





(B) User Experience

Tasks

︎ Create a visual system that grounds the reader in the complexity of the nuclear system and acts as the main body to which we apply our lenses and interventions to show cause and effect. 

︎ Create a system to organize information and summarize lengthy content.

MAPPING

Outlining the user experience


For this document, the information needed to be organized in a way that was easy for the reader to digest and supported the primary purpose, which was to describe the work done in understanding the nuclear landscape and the types of work needed to create a new, more diverse nuclear system.

Considerable effort was put into simplifying the content-rich pages and creating a system to guide the viewer through the document from beginning to end.




MAPPING

Information structure and organization
based on the 3-horizon framework


Upon receiving the FFC, our design team began dissecting the information in the document to discover possible ways to divide the work into digestible parts so that the viewer could investigate one specific strategy point or read through the entire framework.

Through several interactions and conversations with the client, we decided to use the Horizons as chapters and group all supporting materials to their specific Horizon.











PROTOTYPING

Informational structure reflected in book formats


  1. Explore new, informative methods for guiding a person through the Horizon Framework organization
  2. Translate the information framework into a visual treatment for the table of contents
  3. Help to illustrate what horizon each quickly written section supports








(C) Visual Design Strategy


Interpreting the brand into a physical object was explored through mood boards shared with the client to discuss the user experience for this document and how the application of the brand would support the work, orient the readers, and highlight the organization.

Tasks

︎ Challenge the tone of nuclear weapons and reframe the conversations on the topic to connect more with a wider audience by correlating nuclear policy and technology to today's current issues.

︎ Be eye-catching and make reading material exciting to explore.

︎ Be the first physical representation of Horizon 2045’s branding and answer, “How does our organization present itself in these traditional spaces with untraditional materials?”












The organization of deliverables


The Framework for Change is a benchmark piece in the Horizon 2045 brand. As the first physical piece of work, we worked with the Executive Director, Eric Gregory, and the Associate Director, Morgan Matthews, to build a strategy of the tone for the document as well as what role it is to play in telling the story of the Horizon2045 mission.





(D) Execution

Tasks

︎ Create an experience that introduces and elevates the mission of Horizon 2045 and its framework for tackling wicked problems.

︎ Create a guide for policymakers and other influencers.

︎ Design to be shared digitally (as a complete PDF or parts taken for presentation decks) and for print to sit at the desks of some of the world’s leaders. Each use is formatted differently to support the work best and the mode in which the FFC is presented.
Tools used: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Indesign, physical sketching

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