Not your average design studio, we go the extra mile—literally.

The How

Project Selection

Our process is a bit like a treasure hunt—we take our time, carefully looking for passionate founders who are making a real impact and are looking for support to take their work further.

Project Prep

Once we’ve found our match, we sync up on timelines and sort out the basics—like food and sleeping arrangements. We collectively create a rough, flexible plan for deliverables that we will work on during our project. With PTO or unpaid leave approved, we’re on a flight, full of excitement and ready to dive in!

Collaboration

We immerse ourselves in the non-profit’s world for about 8 weeks, working closely with the team and founders to build trust and tackle the right problems. In return, the founders experience the power of design. Tight collaboration ensures our work lasts beyond our stay, with tools, templates, and tutorials to keep it going.

The Who

Something Somewhere Non-Profit Designer Fiona Ennis

Fiona Ennis
Innovation

Having spent a few years at Daylight Design, between Munich, Seoul and SF, I currently wear multiple hats as a Senior Designer at Big Motive—an innovation and design consultancy. At Something Somewhere, I focus on research, design thinking and strategic problem-solving. I usually manage timelines and project planning too. Fiona’s Work

Something Somewhere Non-Profit Designer Aisling/Ash Murphy

Ash Murphy
Creative

Since the age of 16, I have volunteered and worked with people with special needs in Ireland, India, Ghana, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Uganda. I started my career as a brand designer in design studios in Dublin and Melbourne. Currently based in Barcelona, I now work as a designer in the AI and tech space. At Something Somewhere, I take our concept and make it look and feel good. Ash’s Work

  • “This is something both women are skilled at—taking that leap of faith to make the world a better place”

    Maeve Quigley | Irish Daily Mail

  • “Their enthusiasm, professionalism, and work ethic were instrumental in helping us reach our target audience and have a greater impact on the ground.”

    George | &Proud

  • “Your work has had a profound impact on us. It has improved our educational outreach, increased community engagement”

    Felipe | Fundacion Montecito

Learnings

We’ve learned that mistakes are opportunities to grow and improve. Each project teaches us to adapt and work more thoughtfully.

  • Something Somewhere Designer, Fiona Ennis, carrying a plastic box in Malawi

    Do less, but do it better.

  • Something Somewhere Designer, Aisling Murphy, working on laptop outside in Malawi

    Focus on the lasting impact of our work.

  • Something Somewhere design, packaging prototype, handmade

    Recognize and challenge our biases.

  • Something Somewhere, man pushing bike with stack of wood in Malawi

    Understand the context of our audience.

  • Polaroid photo of Something Somewhere designers, Fiona Ennis and Aisling Murphy and Clean & Proud employee

    Be mindful of how we fit into different cultures.

  • Something Somewhere Designer, Fiona Ennis, working on laptop on bed

    Respect resources like power and internet.

  • Something Somewhere Designer, Aisling Murphy, showing team in Malawi the designs

    Co-design and seek feedback.

  • Something Somewhere Designer, Aisling Murphy, collaborating with partners in Colombia

    Measure our impact.

  • Design Research, family outside home in Colombia

    It’s okay to feel lost and out of your comfort zone.

  • Something Somewhere Designer, Fiona Ennis, observing in context in Colombia

    Always reflect, learn, and apply.

Some Answers

We tried to read your mind, but we probably got it wrong. Email us your question.

  • We work in exchange for something to eat and somewhere to sleep because we believe in the power of investment. We spend 8 weeks away from our day jobs, giving our full attention to a non-profit or social enterprise in an underserved community. We know that for many founders, offering these basics can be a stretch, but we believe that when something costs nothing, it’s hard for people to see its real value.

  • It’s all about careful planning. Each project takes a lot of time to organize (we’re talking 5 months here), so we can only take on one every year or two. To make it happen, we save our personal money throughout the year to cover travel, visas, vaccines, and all other costs. We use PTO or take unpaid leave from our day jobs.

    We’re 100% self-supported—no sponsors or external funding. It’s a financial commitment, but this work is an investment in change, new perspectives, and the lasting power of design.

  • It’s really important to us that we work with the right partners. Our search for collaborators is a bit of a treasure hunt. We look far and wide for people doing impactful work in remote, underserved communities—those who are passionate and, most importantly, looking for support.

  • No, we don't cover production costs like printing, and we don’t fundraise within our personal network to fund the projects. Our focus is on providing design support in the form of tools, templates and tutorials.

  • We are always on the lookout for our next collaboration—let’s chat!