We are a research group in the Department of Art and Media, which is part of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture at Aalto University. We are actively involved in researching the role of visual communication design and the broader approaches of design thinking and design process in a wide range of applied areas with societal impact, including environmental crisis, climate change, sustainability, population ageing, public health and well-being.

Our aim is to help address complex societal challenges through the development and use of art-based methods of enquiry – such as storytelling, drawing and comics-making – as well as using effective visual design methods – such visualizations, visual narratives and animations – for communicating and targeting socio-human dimensions of such challenges, and by doing so improve the agency and preparedness of individuals and communities in dealing with them.