STORY
OUR
The Origins of ChiByDesign
Founder and CEO Chris Rudd noticed a growing number of social design projects in Chicago and across the country. Yet, the design firms handling those projects were predominantly white and male. He knew there was no way a monolith of designers could understand the nuance of experiences in diverse communities. Furthermore, there was no way they should design the future of communities of color.
Because of this, Rudd created ChiByDesign as a mindset shift and tool to center equity and the people most impacted and harmed by systemic injustices. Furthermore, ChiByDesign functions as a pathway for designers of color—a collaborative and cultivating space for them to utilize their skills, expertise, and lived experience on meaningful projects and focus on issues that plague communities they represent and identify with.
Understanding the Work
ChiByDesign is a civic and social impact design firm. We partner with systems and organizations, such as governments, NGOs, and philanthropy, to understand the complex civic and social issues of our time through the lens of the people and communities most harmed and impacted.
In every project, one of our requirements is for lived experts to contribute to the project, and this extends beyond sharing their experiences. We create space for them to make decisions. We compensate those who join our team for the duration of the engagement for their knowledge and expertise. With them, we co-create the tools, resources, and experiences pivotal to ensure they can holistically meet their needs and have thriving and self-sustaining communities.
Meet our Team
We are a diverse group of people with powerful lived experiences and a wealth of knowledge that influence how we view the world and design.
Our Mission
To equip the people closest to the social and civic challenges of our time to create anti-racist infrastructures (programs, tools, and experiences) that improve their well-being.
Our Vision
The boldest, anti-racist design firm to co-create a just future with you.
Exciting News
We take great pride in the projects we collaborate on with our partners, for they radically change our world. Because there is great intentionality behind their impact, it brings us great joy when others recognize this as well. Learn more about our work and how it has been recognized below.
ChiByDesign wins awards from Core77 and Fast Company for Strategy and Research
ChiByDesign has been honored by Fast Company and Core77 for our collaborations on racially equitable foster care and innovating youth diversion practices. Click the button to learn more about this recognition.
Foster parents want answers after death of 16-year-old in Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ma'Khia Bryant and her sister lived with their foster mother in a two-story house in a middle-class neighborhood, next to a cornfield along the edge of the city limits here…
Obama Foundation launches 1st My Brother’s Keeper strategy in Chicago
President Barack Obama’s legacy program to address opportunity gaps facing boys and young men of color nationwide on Friday launches its first action plan to impact youth in one urban area — here in his hometown…
The anti-capitalist face of design
"TAKE IT ALL" reads the caption on Chris Rudd's Instagram story, overlaying a video of looters emptying a Gucci retail store and a Walgreens in downtown Chicago. The incident followed an explosive face-off between police and demonstrators after cops shot a young man…
RSD8: Community-Centered Systems Change presented by Chris Rudd
Regional hosts organize Relating Systems Thinking and Design (RSD) Symposia with the sanction, guidance, and assistance of the Systemic Design Association (SDA). Chris Rudd was one of the keynote speakers for RSD8 2019.