Voxpop

Urban Orienteering. Designers are challenged to trace out massive letters on a map. At each anchor/checkpoint they punch out letters on their punch cards and move on. There’s really nothing to be redesigned orienteering maps, symbols, compass and checkpoints are all perfect examples of information design. Run it between Shoreditch and Soho ensuring ’refreshment’ breaks in-between. Run it in Chicago and the typeface would probably change.
Matt Utber, Founder, The Plant

A DofE scheme for designers would start from the later years at school in the art class, right through the education system and on to attaining a position within a consultancy that has a ’director’ of some sort in your job title. For some, this could be as little as four to six years’ worth of study and experience, for others, it could be a life time’s work. We are talking perseverance here rather than creative genius to attain a gold medal.
Dominic James, Managing partner, Deep

We would challenge all designers to leave their desks as often as possible, to break routine and try something new. We do something similar to the DofE scheme it’s called Together Tuesday and has involved us learning magic tricks, making chocolate truffles and recording a CD. Encouraging curiosity can only be a good thing you never know who the next client will be, and even if it’s not strictly relevant to our projects, the challenges are always fun.
Heidi Lightfoot, Director, Together Design

At school the DofE kids and I were like chalk and cheese, but in the spirit of sharing valuable experience, I’d set the following challenges: Bronze it’s up to you to take a proper brief. Listen, ask questions and really understand the design problem. Silver play nice. Sharing ideas to get the best solution is more important than taking all the glory for yourself. Gold throw away the map. Exploring feeds the creative process.
Ross Shaw, Design director, Roundel