• Home
  • test
  • Good News
  • promo-homepage
  • The Planet
  • Culture
  • Innovators
  • Travel
  • Design
  • Videos
  • Science
  • Health
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Communities
  • Hero Video
  • Lifestyle
  • Culture
  • Innovation
  • The Planet
  • Health
  • Issue 001
  • Business
  • GOOD Blog
  • This Week In GOOD
  • GOOD Events
  • Issue 002
  • Issue 003
  • Issue 004
  • Issue 005
  • Issue 006
  • Issue 007
  • Issue 008
  • Issue 009
  • Issue 010
  • Issue 011
  • Issue 012
  • Transparency
  • GOOD Video
  • Issue 013
  • Pop!Tech 2008
  • Boing Boing on GOOD
  • Issue 014
  • Conflict of Interests
  • News
  • Transparency
  • Issue 015
  • Issue 016
  • Road Map to Harmony
  • We Like to Share
  • Inventions
  • Emails from Afar
  • Issue 017
  • Building a Better Future
  • Big Ideas!
  • Issue 018
  • Projects
  • Making Money and Changing the World
  • Picture Show
  • The Data Issue
  • GOOD Projects
  • GOOD HQ
  • Viral
  • Opinion
  • Trump
  • Iraq
  • GoodFriday
  • Food
  • Sports
  • GOODFest
  • Money
  • Education
  • Upworthy
  • The GOOD Cities Project
  • Empathy: A Hard Look at a Touchy-Feely Subject
  • The GOOD Wellness Project
  • The 2014 GOOD City Index
  • The 2014 GOOD Gift Guide to Beautiful Books
  • Data for GOOD
  • Project Literacy
  • Issue 33: The Global Citizen
  • Neighborday
  • The Road Home
  • Issue 34: Failure & Success
  • Push for GOOD
  • BULLETPROOF.
  • The Local Globalists
  • Issue 35: The Fashion Issue
  • The GOOD Guide to Recycling
  • Issue 36: The 2016 GOOD 100
  • GOOD Citizens
  • At The Table Podcast
  • Issue 37: The Money Issue
  • The GOOD Guide To Money
  • The GOOD Energy Project
  • Issue 38: 10th Anniversary Issue
  • The GOOD Guide to Cannabis
  • GOOD Cities: Welcome (Back) to Detroit
  • Gender In Sports: Leveling The Playing Field
  • Good Advice From Good People
  • The GOOD Guide to Donald Trump
  • Issue 39: The OGOD Issue
  • Call Us Crazy, But Good Matters
  • The Long Game
  • The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Social Good Spotlight
  • The Activist :
  • The Place :
  • The Philanthropist :
  • The Company :
  • The Product :
  • The Leader :
  • The Artist :
  • The Media :
  • The Voice :
  • The Action :
  • Racial Justice
  • Animals
  • Featured Articles
    • Business
    • Planet
    • Innovation
    • Design
    • Culture
    • Cities
    • About
    • Contact
    • Upworthy
    • GOOD Institute
    • Leaps.org
    Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
    GOOD
    Infographics

    A Good Design Glossary to Decode the Jargon

    After last year's Social Impact Design Summit, we began to work on one popular request: to compile a glossary of social impact design...

    John Cary
    03.22.13

    After last year's Social Impact Design Summit, we began to work on one popular request: to compile a glossary of social impact design terminology. In the emerging field of social impact design, we've seen important discussions and efforts hamstrung, sidetracked, or misunderstood due to the lack of a unifying vocabulary. This glossary sheds light on the redundancy of certain words and phrases, and we hope it also sheds light on the fact that many leaders and practitioners are using different terms to describe almost identical processes and approaches. Despite arguments over “correct” terminology, we are all speaking the same language.

    We're eager to improve and expand this glossary, and welcome any and all corrections, edits, and additions. In particular, we ask for your help in identifying entities and individuals associated with each term as part of our larger effort to map the field. Please email glossary@publicinterestdesign.org. The glossary can also be viewed at publicinterestdesign.org/glossary.


    Illustration by Jessica de Jesus