designContext
is a collective, that supports the transformation

of linear systems of production into regenerative,

resilient and equitable systems.

 

Agriculture, industrial fabrication, waste management, fisheries and forestry, are all forms of
production. These are the systems that we have created to support our material needs, and for many, where we find meaning and can express ourselves.

They all involve sourcing inputs, transforming materials, and producing outputs - flows and stocks of matter, energy and information. And, they also involve different forms of organisation and management strategies, that sustain production and manage distribution.

We work, using the tools of systems thinking, to integrate the wider context with the focal point;
looking at the project at different scales, and looking at the relationships between elements.

We do not come with a toolbox of solutions to sell.
We bring our frameworks and expertise to bare, and meet you and your context where you are.
As there is complexity and diversity within systems of production,
we have developed a collective, bringing together different expertise,
adapting to the specific needs of the project.

We mix research - and thinking - with application - and doing.

Find Out More

To find out more and understand what we can do with you:

Have a look at some of our projects here.

To look at the CV of the co-ordinator, Tom Snow, go here.

To reach out to us go here.

See a brief introduction to each member of the collective below:

designContext Collective

Tom Snow

Systemic Designer &
Project Co-ordinator

Tom is the co-ordinator of agence designContext EURL, and a systemic designer.

He has 20 years of experience, working in range of industries at various scales and in different countries; both as a consultant, and as a technical industrial designer and project manager in innovation and the circular economy within companies. Tom mixes the hands-on of R&D and research, with the co-ordination of projects and groups, helping to define and track its course through to reaching collective objectives.

Tom is a generalist specialist - as a systemic designer, he has studied in various fields, and brings a holistic and integrative approach to projects. With solid understanding of living-systems, economics, and production systems of various forms, he thrives working with all types of specialists, whilst supporting the bridging and translation between them and lay-persons.

With his systemic approach, he is able to draw on his broad technical skills, tools/methods, knowledge, and community-of-practice, to support students, consultants, entrepreneurs and managers/directors. Helping them develop innovative and regenerative solutions, inspired by living systems, right across the value chain, and across sectors.

Go to CV for more details.

Further Collective Members Coming Soon

Systems Thinking


A System (Greek synhistanai: to place together)

A system is an integrative whole, whose essential properties
come from the relationships between its parts.

Systems thinking, is to understand a phenomenon
within the context of larger wholes, and 
the properties of parts within systems are
understood from the organisation of the whole.

Systems can be multilevelled in structure (see image at the top of this
page), and these different levels have different forms of complexity and
operate with different rules. There are phenomena that exist at one level,
that do not at another, and can have different properties. The term
'emergent properties,' describes those properties that emerge
at particular levels and not at others.

We use systems thinking to contextualise and work with complex
dynamic systems, understanding relationships and patterns
across levels and between levels.