Let’s Reboot the Future
Design, from the Ground Up: Oliver Lloyd
Oliver Lloyd i s a designer and systems thinker, with sustainability as the starting point of his work. He was once advised to "meet people where they are, but don't leave them there," and you get a strong sense of his enthusiasm for collaborating on projects where our connection to and care for nature is front and centre. Oliver shares how he's used this approach with a brand that makes multi-tools. Finding the point where his ethos and their brand met, he's been able to take them on an exciting journey, designing tools for city gardeners with small spaces to spark their engagement with nature. Considering planetary boundaries as a next step in design and production then became a natural conversation. Oliver is keen to share his work and methods, believing that an open source approach puts greater value on our planet, rather than only on the sale of the product. It's a challenge to business as usual, and it has met its share of pushback. But for Oliver, this way of working lets people feel part of a whole process, where their own agency and creative abilities are trusted and come to the fore. More about Oliver: Oliver is a designer and systems thinker working at the intersection of physical product development, emerging technologies, and climate adaptation. I help early-stage ventures and mission-driven organisations design products, services, and systems that are regenerative from the ground up. My approach combines hands-on prototyping and manufacturing knowledge, co-creation, workshop facilitation, futures thinking and strategic foresight — so sustainability isn’t an afterthought, it’s the starting point. Oliver Lloyd Design Subscribe for more stories and practical tools from Reboot the Future. www.rebootthefuture.org
