Putting the glow in pro bono

February 25, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Filed under Pro bono

It’s eHarmony for the design world, with just as much heart.

DesignNYC is a new organization that matches New York City designers with community groups and non-profits that could use their skills. It was launched last week by designer Edwin Schlossberg of ESI Design (an SEGD member studio) with the help of an all-star design support team including Steven Heller, Pentagram partner James Biber, and MoMA curator Paola Antonelli.

With the economy in the dumps, many designers have a bit more time in their schedules, and non-profits have even smaller budgets to promote their causes. DesignNYC has so far facilitated 12 pilot projects, including a Green Guide for the New York Housing Authority, print materials supporting a project to restore the Bronx River, and interior design for a renovated fireboat house that will be the home of the Lower East Side Ecology Center. Sounds like a win-win-win (ad infinitum) situation. — P.M.K.