dear designboom reader,

our impactful stories this year have narrated turning creative ideas into tangible objects. oftentimes, these creations spur social impacts that empower change through design, from sculptural works on sex education for the blind to visual documentation of primitive huts built using sea salt.

creators even turn to an array of installations, like a knotted tree trunk or a living plant that controls a machete, to further invite viewers to reflect on the current social, environmental, and societal climates.

meanwhile, other products of design encourage viewers to shift the way they interact with their environment and perceive what is dubbed 'conventional'. wood shavings can be pendant lights, LEGO bricks double as hanging lamps, and latex and copper reframe traditional body figures.

before the year ends, we hope our stories in 2022 have made you rethink how design can effect changes. from all of us at designboom, we wish you happy holidays and exciting times ahead!

matthew burgos | editor