Photography Project
Photography Brief: Dartington Service Design Lab Image Library
Project Overview
Dartington Service Design Lab is looking to commission a photographer to support us in creating an ethical visual library that reflects the breadth, experience and insight of the children, young people and communities we work alongside.
Our current imagery mostly documents our team’s activities. We now want to move beyond this to tell richer visual stories about systems change, spotlighting the environments, relationships, and conditions that shape people’s lives, opportunities, wellbeing, and safety.
This project will be a piece of co-production with young people and communities who are involved in our current projects. We welcome approaches that involve participatory methods such as photo-voice, collaborative storytelling sessions, or youth-led image creation.
What We Need to Represent
We are seeking photography that:
Centres young people and accurately reflects the breadth of communities we work with, and those we aim to work with.
Illustrates systemic change, showing context, environments, relationships, and the factors shaping opportunity, not just portraits or individual moments.
Shows diversity and intersectionality, particularly the ways poverty, racism, and other overlapping oppressions and inequities influence our thematic areas of focus, including:
Youth employment and opportunity
Youth mental health
Reinforces dignity and agency, avoiding deficit framing or depictions of people as problems to be solved.
Is co-created with communities, positioning participants as collaborators, not merely subjects.
Produces high-quality, versatile images suitable for bids, presentations, reports, training, communications, and influence.
Purpose Statement
This photography project aims to create a visual library that reflects the breadth of the young people and communities we work with. The imagery should inspire empathy, curiosity, and accountability, helping audiences understand the complexity and potential of systems change.
The library should visually express:
Who we work with, what we stand for, and how we work in a way that aligns with our values of being curious, collaborative, evidence-informed, and striving for social justice.
Creative Direction
We are looking for photographers who can demonstrate:
A style that feels grounded, respectful, and authentic.
Strong ability to capture environments, interactions, and “quiet details” that communicate systems and contexts.
Experience working sensitively with young people and communities.
Ability to facilitate participatory or co-production approaches (e.g., supporting young people to take photos themselves or shape the narrative direction).
A clear ethical framework around consent, anonymity (where needed), and representation.
We welcome proposals that include collaborative workshops, youth-led shoots, or thematic storytelling around our focus areas of work (for this project – youth opportunity and employment, and youth mental health).
How to Respond
Please send a proposal detailing your interpretation of the brief and your initial creative thoughts to megan.gordon@dartington.org.uk by 5pm 31st December 2025. A decision will be made on the successful proposal by Friday 9th January 2026.
Outputs should include high-resolution, professionally edited images suitable for multi-purpose use. Whilst we are open to different approaches and imagine the final number of images will flex according to the creative and participatory methods chosen, proposals should include:
A concept or approach for capturing imagery aligned with our purpose and values.
Description of participatory or co-creation methods you would use.
Information on how you would work with young people and communities ethically and collaboratively.
Examples of past work demonstrating your style and experience.
Estimated number of final images your approach would generate.
Proposed timeline and budget (work expected to begin mid-January 2026).
Any practical considerations or requirements.
Please contact Megan Gordon at megan.gordon@dartington.org.uk if you have any questions about responding to this brief.