We work with partners to design, co-create and hatch beautiful experiments, collabs and regenerative solutions that help us re-imagine our relationships with the world around us and thrive.
about.
Wild Labs is a communication, innovation, venturing and collaboration unit with an ethical design ethos, based on the values of human dignity and ecological sustainability. Good to people, good to planet.
The economy and the environment are intimately interconnected. Nature creates the conditions conducive to all life on this planet, human and non-human alike.
We are on the verge of a mass awakening to this. There is much healing to be done and enormous possibilities for those who step up. A huge wave of change. We intend to be riding it.
We work with partners (brands, ngos, artists, activists, social/eco innovators, foundations) to learn, dream, design, co-create and hatch beautiful experiments, collaborations and regenerative solutions that help us to reimagine our relationship with the world around us and thrive.
We are engaged in whole system change but have particular interest in three core areas. These are areas of immense tension between human activity and natural systems which require urgent actions, but where there are extraordinary possibilities for regenerative and restorative innovation.
Ocean Conscious
No blue, no green as someone once said. Our work on oceans explores ideas that can accelerate ocean consciousness in increasingly urbanised societies. These might be campaigns, or product and venture collabs.
Liveable cities
Nature rich, citizen led, participatory, child focussed. With the world moving into cities, how can we best innovate with nature in mind when we design the products, services, infrastructure and systems to support tomorrows cities
Human wellbeing
Thriving humans need nature in their lives. How can we design experiences, practices, products and services which integrate nature intelligence helping humans flourish & meet the chronic stress related health challenges of our time.
We are led by Dan Burgess and Stephen King with a network of world class, wild associates.
how.
Wild Labs typically uses a three phase design and activation approach. Inquiry led, creative co-design with experiential learning, ensuring that teams connect more deeply to the issues and build new practices to help them respond and thrive. We believe real change starts from within and from different ways of knowing, so expect visits, meetings and workshops in the woods, coastlines, city streets and on the edges of change.
1. AWARENESS
Inspiration and learning phase to raise consciousness and understanding around an issue. This could be state of the oceans, airpolluted cities, vanishing forests, nature deprived communities, technology distraction and fatigue, and many more. We curate talks, creative inspiration and glimpses of beautiful solutions to help teams really understand these issues, become aware of their part in the story, the urgency for action and what good could look like.
One day Workshop
2. AWAKEN
Dreaming and co-design phase. With deeper awareness of an issue and creative intention activated, AWAKEN brings a team together with wider stakeholders & contributors, working on new possibilities, imagining and prototyping what could be and what action could look like, including any user research and design. This phase also explores the critical part of how to get there, operationally. This could include collabs with existing initiatives or new concepts.
3 to 8 weeks
3. ACTION
Bringing a concept or initiative into the world. We can leave you to it, or act as a backbone, helping design the operational system and guide the process and any external collaborations. Or we can nest within existing teams or agency partners, midwifing the process, ensuring smart, speedy and impactful execution and launch. Project scope, roles and deliverables to be defined and signed in upfront agreement.
3 months and beyond
projects.
Ocean Literacy UK
Ocean Conscious is a 6 month enquiry led open innovation mission exploring how to best accelerate a shift to an ocean literate UK society.
Nature Intelligence Unit
Platform to engage UK public in conservation citizen science participation
Wild Time App
App concept to help encourage kids and parents to open the front door and play outside in nature we developed prototyped and licensed to Persil/Unilever
Wild Works
Platform to help encourage citizens of Birmingham to reclaim public spaces and rewild communities.
Wild Camp
A nature based cross generational mentoring product that was hatched with and is now run annually by Year Here, UK social entrepreneur accelerator program.
Wildtime Learning
Digital product created with teachers and tested in over 100 schools in the S.W UK to help teachers take key stage lessons outside