Approach
The Work Department contributes to community-led progress by creating programs, processes, and materials with organizations. Our practice integrates people-centered design and systems thinking to deepen relationships and amplify impact.
We work with a broad range of value-aligned nonprofit, philanthropic, government, academic, and corporate clients to provide research, strategy and design capacity.
While we bring experience in food equity, environmental justice, sustainability, and public health, we tailor project teams and engagement strategies to include people with lived experience and subject matter expertise, ensuring our work resonates with the communities our clients serve.
Services
Design
Branding and visual identity
Website design & Squarespace development
Storytelling
Campaign assets
Reports
Toolkits and educational materials
Event collateral
Research
Needs assessments
Landscape assessments
Asset mapping
Stakeholder engagement
Focus Groups
Organizational Strategy
Visioning & strategic planning
Facilitation and convening
Collaboration frameworks
Program design
Team
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Fatema brings a deep empathy and understanding of human relationships to her work as a strategist. She draws on her background in anthropology, public health and human-centered design to inform how organizations can work better internally, in partnership, and in service of stronger programs and outcomes. Her experience working in government agencies and philanthropy helps her understand the opportunity each sector has to better serve communities. Prior to joining The Work Department in 2015, she worked as a program associate for the DMC Foundation, a designer at People’s Liberty in Cincinnati, and as an emergency preparedness health educator at the Washtenaw County Public Health Department. As a Cancer Epidemiology Education in Special Populations fellow and principal investigator, she published original research on breast screening practices among Asian Indian women in metro Detroit. Fatema has a BA from the University of Michigan in cultural anthropology, a BFA from College for Creative Studies in graphic design, and a MPH from the University of Michigan in health behavior and health equity.
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As creative director, Libby leads the design of effective, iconic visuals that are intentional and functional. Libby joined The Work Department as a designer soon after its founding in 2010. When she became partner in 2014, she led the transition to a flat organization with transparent, open-book finances. Prior to that she worked as a designer at Skidmore Studios in Detroit and Stop Studios in Durham, NC, as well as freelance for many years. She also worked as an Adjunct Graphic Design professor at College for Creative Studies, where she graduated with a BFA. In 2017, she co-led a team of women in curating an exhibition of Detroit design at the Saint-Etienne Design Biennale. Having worked in the design field for over 15 years, she has worked with a range of nonprofit, corporate, community groups, and social justice organizations. While her experience is diverse, she is most passionate about democratic design focused on equity and sustainability. Libby also provides pro bono design services to support local community and cultural organizations, most recently with the Detroit Sound Conservancy. Her work has been recognized locally and nationally.
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As Project Manager, Denise brings a pragmatic and organized approach to collaborating with our clients. Denise studied as a historian with a focus on architectural history, historic preservation, and urban planning in rust belt and post-industrial cities. She brings an understanding of the historic context and systemic barriers faced by Black and Brown communities, along with insights into nonprofit and philanthropic practices and organizational structures. Prior to joining The Work Department in 2017, she was at Issue Media Group where she supported business operations as the Client Services Director for this small community-based media organization. She also worked as an architectural historian for Parsons Brinckerhoff, assessing the impact of infrastructure projects to communities, and supported small businesses as a freelance Business Development and Communications Specialist. She served on the board of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network for 10 years, including 3 years as the Board Chair. Denise has a BA in English from the University of Michigan, a MA in public history from the State University of New York at Albany, and a certificate degree in historic preservation from Eastern Michigan University.
We rely on a deep bench of collaborators to extend our reach and capabilities.
COLLABORATORS PAST AND PRESENT
Libby Bogner
Andrea Cardinal
Lindsay Casadonte
Featherstone
Bree Gant
HECTOR
Meg Heeres
Bianca Ibarlucea
Zoe Minikes
Latoya Morgan
One Custom City
Kadushin Communications
Kikko Paradela
Carlie Quezada
Reel Clever
The Storm Company
Meghan Sweet
Emily Tinklenberg
Val Waller
Eva Zielinski
The Work Department was formed in 2010 in the shadow of Detroit’s financial crisis. We began as an open-source web development firm, dedicated to upholding core values of collaboration and transparency while partnering with aligned organizations in the city. Over the years, our work evolved from human-centered design to a focus on integrative design for social impact. Each evolution has been shaped by the interests of our team and the priorities of the communities we serve.