Doing Better at Frontier

Written by Frontier

This Dispatch was originally sent on August 16, 2022

August 16, 2022

To our friends, colleagues, and community:

Two years ago we accelerated our commitments to what we call Doing Better—for people, for our communities, for the planet. At that time, we created and publicly shared a document that reflected our understanding of how to create a positive and uplifting impact as a design office.

We see Doing Better as an integral part of our everyday practice and have worked diligently to incorporate its commitments, discuss their efficacy, and reflect upon their suitability. Now we have updated the document to prioritize committing to goals we can act upon and that relate to our greatest potential impact. This fifty-page PDF outlines in specific detail our approaches to office policies, accessibility and representation, health and well being, hiring practices, career development and mentoring, Indigenous opportunities, and environmental care.

The commitments it includes range widely, but it specifies that we dedicate part of our operating budget to Doing Better initiatives; advance land acknowledgements and our learning related to Indigenous reconciliation; establish a feasible and sustainable mentorship program to broaden access to the design professions and build a stronger talent pool; prioritize accessibility to our spaces, whether physical and digital; ensure the well being of our team with resources to support professional, mental, and personal growth; and choose socially and environmentally considerate products and services for our day-to-day operations.

The PDF contains further commitments and ideas. We posted this document publicly because we have much to learn and recognize that learning is best undertaken transparently and alongside a community. We’re eager to do our small part to resist injustice and strive to make Frontier a design office that creates stellar work and welcomes collaborators without prejudice.

Sincerely,

Maddie Cochran
Paddy Harrington
Deborah Khodanovich
Jessica Leong
Tristan Marantos
Phillip Novak
Sarah Paul
Lisa Qin
Laura Sellors
Brian Sholis
Adélie Touraille
Hannah Vance

none

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