Is there such a thing as ethical design?

Our creative team believes that designing for brands that “do the right thing” can make a real difference.

From the start – when we worked out of a suburban living room 21 years ago – to our current studio in an old banking hall in Harrow on the Hill, an ethical approach has been the backbone of nim design. We began working with charities because we could see that more effective design would make a positive impact on their organisation and to the people they support. This feels like design that makes a difference – in a good way. A difference to how your brand looks and feels, how you communicate complex messages clearly and how you engage with your stakeholders. And ultimately, a difference to the impact you can have as an organisation.

Our clients come from all walks of life but they share a common aim – to do the right thing. This makes it easy for us to care as much about their brands as they do, which in turn, helps us deliver outstanding results. We love working with them all; from global charities to small social enterprises, housing developers to furniture makers – our clients are a diverse bunch and they all have something important to say.

To us good ethics also means being honest. We start by listening carefully to our clients and responding with integrity. We’re transparent in our approach, both in terms of providing clear professional advice and in our quotes and billing. Our ethos is to give a straight answer to a straight question and as a result, we’ve developed very close relationships with our clients, which may be the reason we work with so many of them time and again.

Now that social and digital media has made communication with your audience a two-way street, meaningful interaction is more important than ever. Having a design team on your side which not only believes in what you are saying, but also has the creativity and expertise to amplify your brand voice, should help you engage effectively and deliver positive, tangible results.

Ethical is a term that is overused and hard to pin down. Perhaps it’s more a statement of intent than an exact definition, but if it’s about trying to do the right thing – for clients, for employees, for communities and for the environment – count us in.

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