Here at Furthermore, we know how important design thinking is for our ability to solve problems. Day to day in our project work we encourage each other to think creatively through collaborative brainstorming or peer-to-peer feedback sessions. Beyond project work, we also like to facilitate opportunities to learn, have fun and challenge ourselves, this is where our ‘design parties’ come in.

Design parties are monthly sessions involving the whole team where we choose an activity or exercise which helps us flex our creative muscles, learn new skills, or expand our horizons. Over the years we have tried countless activities, each a little bit different. Here are four of our favourites which can be facilitated just as easily remotely as in-person. 

Bento Box Branding

Bento boxes, known for their Japanese origins, are beloved for their elegant design, thoughtful compartmentalization, and efficient presentation of food. But did you know that bento box layouts can also be a useful concept in UI and brand design? Just as a bento box separates different foods into perfectly portioned spaces, a bento-style design approach can break down visual elements into blocks of varying sizes. These blocks can then be filled with typography, imagery, UI patterns, illustrations, logos etc, to help the designer get an understanding of how well the elements work together

Use the bento box concept as the foundation for a fast-paced design exercise. Start with a simple branding brief, perhaps “start up organic food delivery company” or a “eco-friendly travel app for gen-z”. Then, within a quick 10-20 minutes, get each member of the team to fill out their bento box in Figma or Miro. This will come easier to the designers on the team but everyone should be able to think creatively and use existing sources from the internet to populate their box. You don't have to design your own new logo or draw unique illustrations, you can pull existing imagery and assets from other sources on the internet. The exercise is more about how you combine the disparate elements to tell a coherent story.

Everyone should explain their reasoning to the team, talking through why they chose each element. It is great practice for presenting design decisions to clients and allows team members who might be new to presenting to build up their confidence.  

Show & Tell

One really easy and popular activity among the team is a simple show and tell session where everyone brings something interesting to discuss. This could be organised around a theme, such as a new technology like AI or an inspiring design trend, or it could be left open to the team’s interpretation.

We find these sessions are a great way to stay tuned in to the latest in design and tech. In the past people have shared useful figma plugins, stunning new website designs, AI-generation tools and creative brand expressions. Sharing these ideas not only keeps our practices fresh but also sparks conversations that lead to new approaches and ideas in our own work. 

Object Redesign

This is a design party classic, and a challenging one at that. The basic idea is to redesign an existing household object, something simple like a spoon, a chair or a pair of scissors. First choose an object and then have everyone sketch out multiple ways that object could be redesigned. It's helpful to give specific prompts regarding the target audience to get people thinking outside of the box. For example, ask people to redesign it for a toddler or an elderly person or someone on the go. We find this activity works really well to help the team consider the perspective and lived experience of others, an important skill to have in our line of work. 

If you wanted to add another dimension to this activity, you could incorporate some light user research at the start. Pair the team up into groups of two, and have everyone interview their partner about an object that they use every single day. Ask them about their likes, dislikes, pain points etc. Then everyone redesigns the object for their partner based on their specific needs. 

Personality Sandwich

Our fourth and final activity is also arguably the most fun of the lot. Everyone on the team needs to draw themselves as a sandwich, even if it feels a little cheesy (pun intended), then present it to the group and explain their reasoning. The sandwich can contain anything you feel best represents your personality, not just food items. It’s as simple as that. Get creative with it! 

Although those are four of our favourites, there are loads more out there worth trying. Everything from Tangram puzzles to sketching a day in your life. If you are looking for more ideas there is an old but a good list from the Foursquare team here.