D Effect

In its efforts become self-sustainable without external funding, the child development centre Diferenças, a non-profit organisation that supports children with Down’s syndrome, asked the advertising agency BBDO to develop an idea that would help Diferanças to create a sustainable economic model to finance and disseminate its work.

Thus was born Efeito D (or D Effect). The name has its origins in the Portuguese word for defect (defeito). By changing the position of the letter D, defeito becomes Efeito D or D Effect, whereby D stands for Design or Difference.

The name was inspired in the idea of a group of designers who created a collection of objects – ranging from furniture to fashion items – that are “different” or that have some minor “defect” that distinguishes them from similar objects. However, the defect does not stop them being unique and just as valuable – just like children with Down’s syndrome, who can lead full lives despite their genetic “defect”.

The prototypes for the objects were exhibited at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation between Spetember and November of this year as part of the ExperimentaDesign Lisbon Biennale ’09. The aim is to market the products in Portugal and abroad, using  the proceeds from sales to make the Diferenças centre financially sustainable. 

In addition to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and BBDO, other partners in this project are the Faculty of Economics and Management at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, which developed the business plan, and the law firm Vieira de Almeida & Associados, which provides legal support.