WDE Spotlight: Studio Futurall

Within WDE, we believe that design thinking is fundamental to arriving at new solution directions for complex social issues. How do you see that as a designer?

We definitely see design as a powerful way to approach complex, systemic problems. We use design thinking alongside future thinking, systems thinking, and plenty of other approaches. And there’s a lot of overlap between them. We find the design mindset particularly helpful for working iteratively: creating prototypes, and testing ideas in practice. As well as for engaging people through storytelling. It helps us turn abstract issues into something concrete and engaging.

That said, we sometimes oppose the idea that design alone is the answer. A lot of our work involves bringing different fields together—Eva has a more design-led background, while Finn’s experience involves convening networks and working across different disciplines. We think that mix is essential. Design helps us explore, iterate, and learn by doing, but meaningful change also requires deep collaboration with other fields and ways of knowing.

Your project Veranderkompas was part of the Embassy of Food during Dutch Design Week 2024. What can you tell us about the project and the phase it is in?

Veranderkompas (Compass for Change) was a project we co-developed with the Embassy of Food. It’s a systems change tool designed to help navigate the complexities of the food system and imagine new ways forward.

We debuted the Veranderkompas as a life-sized, spinning physical compass at Dutch Design Week as part of the Designing Society exhibition, designed to spark new and sometimes unexpected conversations about the food system.

We don’t just see the compass as tied to its physical manifestation, though. That was just the first iteration. Our focus now is on learning more about its usefulness in practice.

Are there next steps for the project? If so, what are they?

Yes! This spring, we’re piloting it with the Green Traineeship program “Bodemkracht” and local food initiatives (such as Heerlijk van Hier in Arnhem). We are also looking for other food sector organizations that might want to use it to open up discussions on their own challenges.

We’d also love to collaborate with a researcher to evaluate its impact. It would be great to work with someone who can help us understand its effectiveness in shifting perspectives across different contexts.

What has your participation in the Embassy brought you?

Being part of the Embassy of Food was a fantastic deep dive into the food system—an area we hadn’t worked in as much before. The Embassy has an amazing network of partners across different parts of the food world, and collaborating with them really strengthened the project. We also got to exhibit at Dutch Design Week in a prime location, which meant loads of meaningful interactions with visitors.

A huge shoutout to Barbara and the team at the Embassy, who were instrumental in shaping the project. Their knowledge and network made it possible to create something that truly resonated.

What kind of project would you like to realise in the future and why?

Finn: I’d love to do a large-scale immersive futures project—something that brings together policy, theatre, and public engagement. Imagine a touring experience where people can step into different possible futures shaped by real policy questions. That kind of hands-on, interactive storytelling could generate really rich insights and help decision-makers understand the long-term social implications of their choices.

Eva: I’d love to do a futures project that is strongly rooted in the queer community, working with the unique, intrinsic ways that those communities propose alternative futures. But also figuring out new ways to amplify and connect those stories to create a larger systemic change.

What tips do you give to organisations when they start working with designers on a complex issue?

First, be prepared to embrace uncertainty. A good design process doesn’t give you instant answers—it’s about exploring, iterating, and learning. That can feel uncomfortable, but it’s part of the process.

Second, be ready to be creative yourself. We work in a very collaborative way, and the best results come when organisations see themselves as active partners rather than just hiring designers to ‘fix’ a problem. We don’t do top-down consulting—we work alongside people to navigate complexity together.

Finally, understand that this kind of work takes time. Real change doesn’t happen in a single workshop or a one-off intervention. It’s an ongoing conversation.

When you look back on your career as a designer in the future, what do you hope to have achieved?

Finn: I hope my career isn’t just one straight path but full of variety—design, art, theatre, and other strange creative side quests. I’d love to look back and see that I helped create large-scale cultural projects that really touched people and maybe even contributed to some long-term societal change.

Eva: I want to have written at least one book! Haha. But more than that, I hope I will have helped build a better society—not just in big, abstract ways, but through smaller, real networks of people supporting and taking care of each other.