MMD was hired to participate in a groundbreaking initiative within DCPS: redefining the relationship between the school system and the communities it serves. This was achieved through a community-driven and DCPS led design process named "Redesign." Redesign is a comprehensive school improvement effort that learns from past experiences and involves the community from the onset. The program is centered around a more equitable and inclusive approach, inviting students and school staff to participate and incentivizing them to become critical collaborators. Through a rigorous process of training, conceptualization, community census, and implementation, Redesign has set a new standard for transforming schools.

"Transformation By Design" is both a case study and a summation of years of work pioneered by DCPS’s Design Lab. This document would be more than a book; it’s a guide, a "playbook," for all schools that follow to repeat the practices that resulted in increased family engagement, enrollment projections, and student engagement in participating schools. MMD was tasked with concisely and visually explaining how this extensive initiative unfolded and laying out the tools necessary to replicate it. MMD was responsible for the voice and visual language of the 54-page playbook, as well as creating necessary infographics and other visual elements throughout the publication.

The document needed to convey the human element and demonstrate a collaborative process throughout. Understanding their audience—students and families interested in bringing change to their schools—MMD proposed a visual language that would feel inviting and handcrafted yet insightful and professional. The team achieved this by combining hand-drawn journal elements, post-it notes, craft material textures and typography reminiscent of handwriting. This blend of imperfect notes, drawings, quotes, and images interspersed across a serious and factual document perfectly captured the clients vision. In addition to defining the aesthetic, MMD worked closely with the Design Lab to propose organizational solutions and strategies to make the final piece as inviting and intuitive as possible.