I want to create a culture of social design.

The term "social design" has recently gained significant attention. It may well represent a new era's culture and way of life. In this column, Fukui—who has discovered opportunities to realize social design through his work—will share the thoughts and messages he poured into his book, Creating Hope: The Work of Social Design.

Alongside the rise of social media, the term "social" has gained significant attention. Many books introducing social businesses, such as social entrepreneurs and social finance, have been published. In the advertising industry, numerous winners at major global awards like the Cannes Lions have featured social themes. Furthermore, over half of new employees express a desire to work in social fields. The term "social" has expanded far beyond its original connotation of "volunteer activities contributing to society."

I strongly sense the potential for a culture of social design to emerge. However, understanding of this term varies greatly among people, and no comprehensive methodology existed for those actually seeking to engage in social design. Therefore, we decided to compile the expertise cultivated through Dentsu Inc. Social Design Engine and create an accessible introductory book on social design for anyone.


In our book, Creating Hope: The Work of Social Design, we define social design as "connecting individual awareness with improving society." We believe social design isn't just for a select few exceptional individuals; anyone with ideas and the drive to act can do it. Therefore, this book not only features representative cases from Japan and abroad but also introduces diverse initiatives by people like junior high school students and housewives. We've organized and compiled information clearly to provide a comprehensive understanding, covering the basic steps for creating social projects, the history of social design, and the Social Issue Hint Map.

We view social design not as a serious, heavy topic, but as "work that creates hope," and we aim to convey a positive message through this book. For the book's publication, we partnered with Sendenkaigi, a central figure in the advertising industry's information dissemination, to establish the "Social Design Conference Executive Committee." Moving forward, we plan to expand beyond just book publishing to include projects like hosting lectures and disseminating information.