About Societydesign
Society Design was founded by MA Danilo Joanovic da Rudna, a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and social designer. His experience as the chairman of a homeowners' association (VVE) in Amsterdam Oud-West opened doors to problem-solving and community engagement. Through innovative approaches, including design thinking and social design, he discovered the power of creativity beyond the realm of art.
This led to the establishment of Society Design, a company focused on social design in its broadest sense. The aim is to create positive societal impact in an ever-evolving world. Collaborating with problem owners such as schools, neighborhoods, and organizations, Society Design facilitates co-creative sessions to find solutions that fit the changing circumstances.
Our approach stands out by finding space within gridlocked systems and encouraging movement to prevent stagnation. We embrace connection, diverse perspectives, and a bottom-up approach through co-creation and design thinking as essential parts of our work.
Society Design collaborates closely with municipalities, neighborhoods, organizations, and individuals.
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Danilo - my story
A professor at HKU's Master's program in Crossover Creativity once said, "Danilo, you promise everything that the “ties” promise, but you actually achieve it."
Danilo says: "Throughout my life, I've stood among people from different backgrounds, cultures, educational levels, and ages. On my father's side, I come from a family of Austro-Hungarian administrators, traders, notaries, and bishops. On my mother's side, I know strong women, craftsmen, farmers, priests, and teachers. Both families were extensive, and all family members were diverse.
Growing up in communism and socialism, I learned as a young child that we are all equal. The people.
Yugoslavia, where I was born and raised, was the founder of non-aligned countries, a global movement that remained neutral during the Cold War era. Everyone was equally valuable; everyone was meant to be free and liberated. I was raised in this ideology, in an artistic family, amidst intellectuals, free-spirited individuals, proletarians, and bourgeois. The socialism and communism of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, implemented in Yugoslavia, we found to be a charade. Not to be taken very seriously, but certainly something to consider.
My parents were highly versatile in their artistry. Creativity seemed boundless. At home, I witnessed the processes and the results of their creativity and the impact they had. It set things in motion before my eyes.
Due to the civil war a few years later, I learned what it means when your country ceases to exist and an entire system collapses. What it does to people, both in negative and positive ways. That taught me to put things into perspective and to be self-reliant, even in difficult circumstances. Life must go on, even in the worst situations, even with limited means.
Upon my arrival in the Netherlands in the summer of 1992, we started completely from scratch. Our network was entirely gone. But we were living in freedom again and saved from the horrors of war.
I've had countless part-time jobs in the Netherlands during my high school and college years. Everywhere I worked, I found myself in a completely different world. I tried to adapt and get to know people well, still holding onto the belief: People are people; everyone is fundamentally equal.
I've been playing music in bands since 1992 alongside various musicians. I've been a visual artist since 1997. I've been an art teacher since 2005. I've been a crossover artist and social designer since 2011.
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