Q&A with Barbara Monahan – Design for Sustainability and Circular Economies Certificate Graduate

Sustainability in Design: A Conversation with Barbara Monahan, Certified Brand Architect, Founder of Cube Design and Graduate of Design Skillnet’s Certificate in Design for Sustainability and Circular Economies (DfSCE) Programme.

Wondering if the Programme is for you? Interested in Sustainability and Circular Design? In this Q&A, Barbara Monahan, Certified Brand Architect and Founder of Cube Design, shares her journey into sustainability. 

To Barbara, sustainability is central to creating meaningful, human-centric brand strategies. This belief led to a deep dive into the world of sustainable practices through the Certificate in Design for Sustainability and Circular Economies (DfSCE). The programme not only enhanced her knowledge but also empowered her to authentically integrate sustainability into her offerings to business owners, building communities and fostering deeper connections. Through the course, Barbara gained invaluable insights from leading designers, tools like life cycle analysis, and the confidence to pitch sustainability to clients. This journey has reshaped her approach to design, allowing her to embed sustainability into every aspect of her practice while inspiring others to begin their own exploration into creating a more circular economy.

Read on to learn how you can support your own sustainable design practice.

• Tell us a little bit about yourself and the work that you do as a brand architect and designer?

I am a brand consultant who blends creative business solutions with sustainable, human centric design, to harmoniously challenge traditional thinking. I guide visionary leaders of small businesses to uncover new paths, refocus and redefine success, with authenticity and innovation, to build trust and help their business thrive in an ever changing world.

I began my design career in the late 80’s, graduating from what is now TUD, the College of Marketing and Design. Working as a graphic designer for many years, in London and Dublin, I added to my design skillset by embracing brand strategy in 2019 when I got involved with Level C, and was personally trained by Marty Neumeier, who I have huge admiration for, to gain the certification of Brand Architect. This certification meant I was the first and only Certified Brand Architect in the Republic of Ireland, and has given me a worldwide community of other branders who I can bounce ideas around with and collaborate with regularly.

• How did your interest in sustainability and circular design come about?

Because I believe that human centric design in brand strategy is a necessary part of sustainability, I felt it was important for me to learn as much as I possibly could about sustainability, from all viewpoints, and gain a deeper understanding of what it means for my clients. My offering to small business owners is all about building communities and human first connections.

• You’re a graduate of our Certificate in Design for Sustainability and Circular Economies (DfSCE). What does it mean for you and your business to have a qualification in sustainability?

This qualification means that I can now be truly authentic in my offering to my clients. I have since built out my strategic processes,  based on my learnings from this programme, and can confidently bring that dimension to my work with my clients.

• What other reasons did you have for wanting to certify in Design for Sustainability and Circular Economies?

I felt that it was important for my own self to know more and learn more. Before taking the course, I was researching the subject, but did not know enough. On investigating the programme, I knew this would give me the knowledge I needed to have. 

• What were the key takeaways you learned from the leading designers and industry practitioners who lectured on the course?

What I found interesting was the many different viewpoints on sustainability and how it affected the practices of the lecturers. It gave me a wider view on the subject, and inspired ideas that I could bring into my own practice. In particular our visit to the Design Partners (now part of PA Consulting) in Bray was where many light bulbs were lit for me. Looking at life cycle analysis, I was able to adapt that process to create a useful exercise for my clients, and in particular the client I was working with as part of my journey to complete this programme.

• How did the course change your approach to your day-to-day practices? 

I have restructured some of my processes so that I can help clients to explore more options around building sustainability into their brand. 

• How do you pitch sustainability to clients (to take them on the journey)? Any challenges? 

I include sustainability in all my communications – I talk about human centric design and sustainability. The fact that the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is not an obligation for larger businesses and is coming to smaller businesses, has pushed many small business owners to thinking more about this. Initially some asked me how does sustainability come into my business, and when I spoke about human centric, community and service design, it made sense to them. 

• What are the first steps designers can take to start to help the design industry become more sustainable and contribute to a more circular economy?

Start researching what sustainability means to your practice, then take this course. 

• Tell us of one sustainability project you’re particularly proud of.

The project I worked on with a client to complete this course was for The Bee Sanctuary. Although I cannot say exactly what we did together, as the client wants to implement the services, and until then, it is under wraps, I can say that I helped them to reframe their offer to protect what they have, and help larger businesses to achieve their sustainability goals, through a wellness and environmental service. This service is not a box ticking service, but a physical and engaging service.

• What advice would you give to designers exploring sustainable practice for the first time?

As I have said above, learn as much as you can about your practice, what it mean to you, and keep exploring.

• Would you recommend the course and why?

Absolutely. This course gives you a much wider understanding of what sustainability means, which allows you to hone in on your practice, to creatively think about how you can apply changes that will make a difference. For me, it is a focus on human centric design that makes transformation meaningful, and also the practical elements of design, like for example not using pure white or black in digital communications. I’m working on changing that for my own communications.

Find out more about the Certificate in Design for Sustainability and Circular Economies

Register your interest here or attend the news Info Session on the programme.