Luc van Hoeckel: “Traditional designers develop products and services for 10% of the population”

Most products in the world are designed for about 10% of the world's population, according to Cynthia Smith, author of 'Design for the Other 90%’. Most of the global population therefore has little or no access to products and services that we take for granted. The manufacturing industry in developing countries often produces low-quality products, and imported products are prohibitively expensive. Donated goods can end up unused in landfill because they do not work as needed or cannot be repaired locally.

Luc van Hoeckel designs solutions for the 90% of the world's population without access to decent basic facilities. For example, he made hospital beds in Malawi and came up with a solution for pollution from tourism in Nepal. By working with local materials and setting up production locally, goods can be easily manufactured and repaired. This makes products much more sustainable and creates jobs in places where there is often high unemployment.

Read the interview with Luc van Hoeckel →

Luc van Hoeckel was one of the seven talented designers highlighted during Dutch Design Week 2023 at the Secrid Talent Podium in Klokgebouw, a collaboration between Secrid and Dutch Design Foundation.

In addition to the podium, each of the seven designers receives coaching and a monetary award. Thus, the Secrid Talent Podium supports talented designers in developing products that contribute to a sustainable future. We are building a movement that helps shift the industry's focus from producing more to producing better. Together, we believe in design as a force for good.

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