Parallel Lines: Our Vision

[Energetic and bright music plays. A medium shot of Chris Gaul, sitting in a design office.]

Chris Gaul (Founder, Parallel Lines): Parallel Lines is really an experiment in answering the question, ‘How do designers best contribute to building a better world?’

[Cut to scenes from community workshops and discussions]

Chris (off camera): For us that means two things: it means thinking about the kinds of challenges that you want to address and thinking about the kinds of projects that you want to work on…

[Return to a medium shot of Chris]

Chris: …but it also means thinking about how you work…

[Cut to scenes from community workshops and discussions]

Chris: …the kinds of relationships that you build and the way you think about the practice of design.

[Return to a medium shot of Chris]

Chris: Good design isn’t about solving people’s problems. It’s not about coming in and telling people how they should be doing things.

[Cut to various examples of design outputs, such as interactive interfaces and printed workshop materials]

Chris (off camera): It’s about listening to people and it’s about deeply understanding a situation and then designing tools that can empower people to make better decisions and to have new perspectives and insights.

[Return to a medium shot of Chris]

Chris: Reimagining the practice of design is a really big undertaking but it’s really exciting because we’ve managed to find these methods and ways of working that really allow us to do meaningful and impactful work.

[Cut to scenes from a design workshop]

Chris (off camera): Ultimately design is caring.

[Return to a medium shot of Chris]

Chris: …It’s caring about people, and paying attention to a situation and finding ways of changing it and making it better.

[Cut to an animation of the Parallel Lines logo on a blue background.]

This privacy policy outlines how Parallel Lines collects and manages information about you. If you have questions or concerns about this policy, please contact us by emailing info@parallellines.design.

This privacy policy may change from time to time. It was last updated on 5 February 2023.

Information we collect

Personal information

Personal Information is information that identifies an individual. The Personal Information we collect includes names, email addresses and phone numbers. We may obtain this information in different ways, including:

Through interviews or discussions.
By telephone, email or social media correspondence.
From publicly available sources.
From third parties.

We collect Personal Information for the primary purpose of providing and marketing our services. We may also use your Personal Information for secondary purposes closely related to the primary purpose, in circumstances where you would reasonably expect such use or disclosure.

When we collect your Personal Information we will, where appropriate and where possible, explain to you why we are collecting the information and how we plan to use it.

Sensitive information

Sensitive Information is a type of information that requires a higher level of protection. Sensitive Information includes your race or ethnicity, gender or sexual identity, political opinions, membership of a political association, religious or philosophical beliefs, membership of a trade union or other professional body, criminal record or health information.

We will only use Sensitive Information:

With your consent; or where required or authorised by law.
For the primary purpose for which it was obtained; typically, this relates to a specific design project.
For a secondary purpose that is directly and reasonably related to the primary purpose.

Design has a key role to play in reducing emissions and helping communities adapt to climate change. We work with researchers to communicate decarbonisation pathways, partner with climate activists to combat disinformation and create tools that help governments, businesses, and households reduce emissions and build resilience to natural disasters and climate shocks.

Transitioning to circular systems is crucial for protecting our biosphere and ensuring we have the resources needed for a thriving society. We partner with researchers and manufacturers to map supply chains and find opportunities to minimise waste, reuse materials, and regenerate natural systems, helping people understand where products come from, how they’re made and how they can be re-used and recycled.

Rich and balanced ecosystems are essential not only for human wellbeing but for sustaining all life on Earth. As designers, we take responsibility for protecting and restoring the natural world. We design tools that support responsible ecological stewardship and pressure government and industry to end destructive practices.

Community is at the heart of why and how we design. Strong communities form when people are empowered to shape their futures. We help communities understand complex challenges, strengthen their voice in decision making, build connections and foster long-term resilience.

Elevating Indigenous voices and traditional knowledge is key to transforming exploitative and extractive systems into ones that are restorative and sustainable. We seek to learn from elders and Indigenous experts and to put their knowledge at the forefront of decision-making in our community and around the world.

Social justice and inclusion are central to everything we do, from the projects we take on to how we practice design. We believe that tools and systems should be designed by the people who experience their effects. We practise design to amplify marginalised voices and to make social systems more representative and fair.

The energy transition isn’t just about tackling climate change—it’s about making our energy systems work for everyone. We collaborate with community energy groups, businesses and governments to help them make informed choices about energy. We develop platforms that empower communities to understand and take control of their energy futures, and we work with tech and data experts to map energy use and identify opportunities for innovation.

In the information age, access to knowledge and education is more important than ever. Designers play a crucial role in making education more inclusive and knowledge more accessible by creating tools that make complex information easier to understand, engage diverse learners, and ensure learning is available to everyone, regardless of cognitive, cultural, or linguistic background.

Everyone deserves access to safe, secure and well paid work, work-life balance and the support to contribute fully in their job. We use design to end worker exploitation and modern slavery and promote equity, respect, and representation in the workplace. We use design to envisage workplaces that put people before profit and respect the contributions and perspectives of everyone at work.

Shaping health and care services around people’s needs, concerns, and aspirations begins with effective design. Our focus is on making complex information accessible and ensuring that services are responsive to the aspirations and concerns of the people they support, particularly those who have been made vulnerable or marginalised by existing systems.

The way we design and build spaces and places is at the centre of several interconnected challenges: making housing affordable, transitioning to low-impact building materials and practices, inclusive development, and creating connected and thriving communities. We work with architects, urban planners and researchers to understand these challenges and design tools that help policymakers, builders, homeowners, and communities make informed decisions that drive meaningful change.

Strong, inclusive civic institutions are essential for driving social change, and designers can play a powerful role in supporting these organisations. We work with governments, community groups and researchers to create tools and spaces for communities to understand and shape public policy. Together, we map community values, vulnerabilities, aspirations, and concerns, providing meaningful insights that guide more responsive and just policymaking.

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We design to make  a difference

Our Impact

Maria

Disability Support Service Coordinator

Nicole

Community Engagement Director

Kent

Agronomist

Anna

Science, Research & Innovation Coordinator

Chris

Homeowner

Reimagining the  practice of design

Designing from the Horizon: The Power of Near-Future Prototyping

Mapping the human experience of disaster recovery and climate adaptation

Video transcript

Privacy Statement

Information we collect

Personal information

Sensitive information

Climate action

Circular economies

Thriving ecosystems

Connected communities

Indigenous leadership

Clean, responsive energy

Open knowledge and education

Better work

Human centred health and care

Enriching spaces and places

Strong institutions

Get in touch

Send us a message

We design to make a difference

Our Impact

Maria

Disability Support Service Coordinator

Nicole

Community Engagement Director

Kent

Agronomist

Anna

Science, Research & Innovation Coordinator

Chris

Homeowner

Reimagining the practice of design

Designing from the Horizon: The Power of Near-Future Prototyping

Mapping the human experience of disaster recovery and climate adaptation

Video transcript

Privacy Statement

Information we collect

Personal information

Sensitive information

Climate action

Circular economies

Thriving ecosystems

Connected communities

Indigenous leadership

Social justice

Clean, responsive energy

Open knowledge and education

Better work

Human centred health and care

Enriching spaces and places

Strong institutions

Get in touch

Send us a message

We design to make  a difference

Reimagining the  practice of design