DesignWISE: Create to Regenerate

by Ida Engholm, Lotte Borg, Brian Frandsen

A conceptual framework and practical guide to a new, planet-centered approach to design. DesignWISE challenges the linear logic that has long shaped design practice. Too often, we move from brief to solution without pausing to understand the wider consequences of our choices or the systemic relations they affect. In doing so, we overlook opportunities for deeper, regenerative change.This book introduces DesignWISE as a 360-degree alternative―a circular decision-making tool grounded in design thinking, systemic leadership, and Indigenous wisdom traditions. Rather than progressing step by step, DesignWISE invites designers, leaders, and teams into a continuous cycle of reflection, evaluation, and renewal.At the center of the method is a a structure inspired by the medicine wheel, encouraging holistic awareness, multiple perspectives, and a stronger connection between inner intention and outer impact. Each phase of the wheel opens a space for introspection, imagination, and responsibility, helping us understand how design decisions resonate across people, organizations, and the planet. DesignWISE ultimately argues that meaningful transformation begins with a shift in awareness―how we see, sense, and relate to the world. By cultivating presence, curiosity, and critical reflection, we can unlock new sources of insight and move beyond conventional approaches to design. 

128 pages, Hardcover

Published September 18, 2026