A New Design for Giving

If you want to succeed, you’ve got to set yourself apart. Normally this is advice we give to people who are ready to take the next step in their careers or relationships. But a team of designers is looking to apply this principle to objects— specifically, a well designed charity box.

Maggie’s, is a nonprofit group dedicated to giving cancer patient comfort and warm words of advice. It was founded in memory of Maggie Jencks, the late wife of architectural critic Charles Jencks. Naturally, many prominent designers have had a hand on a number of Maggie’s projects. Most recently, design firm Layer has stepped up to the plate of innovation.

hand dropping coin in container

The charity box designed by Layer

Their goal, as is the goal of many charities, is to get people to donate. But they noticed that many charity boxes go unnoticed in the day to day. When you go to your favorite pastry shop on the way to work, when is the last time you actually noticed the donation jar? It just blends in with the register or other items on the counter. At work, the charity vessel may be a humble coffee can which can go ignored to undiscerning eyes.

Layer is trying to reverse this desensitization by making a charity box that really stands out from the whirlwind of daily stimuli. Their new product resembles a bent vase. The shape, writes John Brownlee for Fast Company’s Design blog, is “soft and inviting, bowing almost humbly towards the giver”. The color, red, is soft enough to not be grating on the eyes, yet bright enough to set itself apart on any table, counter, or sill. The name of the charity is subtly embedded right on the lip of the jar, reminding givers exactly what they are contributing to.