Scientific knowledge rarely changes behaviour on its own, so it was fantastic to present our work on antimicrobial resistance at the University of Oxford’s People AMR Network webinar session. The audience – healthcare specialists from around the world – are collaborating to identify better ways to develop and promote careful antimicrobial use in their communities.

We aim to bridge the gap between knowledge and action through visually led design, often working with globally respected researchers, health specialists and the public to co-produce new ways of understanding and acting in the world. With half of all antibiotics still used inappropriately and antimicrobial resistance posing a growing threat, design can help specialists break through jargon and academic silos, ensuring that science translates into real awareness and community action.
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My my, how can you resist me

In our work with Imperial College London NHS Trust, we replaced dry or inconspicous hospital warnings with humour and music. By using song titles to promote hand-washing, we helped double compliance rates (from 31% to 68%).

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Spread the word, not the bad bugs

Our collaboration with the University of Reading used playful design to communicate with patients and with time-pressured pharmacists in the UK and Rwanda 

Every journey matters

We have also been fortunate to develop creative responses to the invisible world of microbes alongside researchers in animal welfare, hospital-borne infections and the World Health Organization’s global fight against antimicrobial resistance.

We have worked with over fifty research and charitable organisations – from the Association for Laboratory Medicine and the Royal Society of Biology to the Wellcome Trust – ensuring that our diverse skills help turn deep expertise into accessible and actionable knowledge.

If you are exploring complex global challenges and want to collaborate with a creative team of designers, writers and technologists we would love to hear from you.