SiG Note: This article was originally published on April 7, 2015 on the MaRS Solutions Lab Blog. It has been cross-posted with permission from the author.

Launched August 2013, the Microtainer series was created and curated by Satsuko VanAntwerp of Social Innovation Generation. The MaRS Solutions Lab is excited to take on this legacy to spread information that will be interesting, insightful and useful to lab practitioners and the lab-curious. To access the whole archive of Microtainers, please visit the Microtainers series page.

Interesting resources that came across our desks in the past 4 weeks (in no particular order):

1. Danish Design Centre’s interview series on “When does design become a political act?”

Engaging interviews with:

Scott Brown, Research Associate, Parsons DESIS Lab, The New School

Christian Bason, CEO, Danish Design Centre

Rosan Bosch, artist and founder of Rosan Bosch Studio

Kit Lykketoft, General Manager, MindLab

2. Jon Turney’s aeon article “How to design the future”

As technological choices become ever more complex, design fiction, not science, hints at the future we actually want.

3. Eric Schnurer’s article in The Atlantic “When Government Competes Against the Private Sector, Everybody Wins”

If civil servants are pitted against businesses, they become more innovative and secure most of the contracts put out for bid.

4. Simon O’Rafferty’s slides “Service Design: Tactics + Pitfalls”

Great slidedeck by Simon O’Rafferty on the methods of Service Design and its pitfalls.

5. Google Cultural Institute

Take a look at the work of The Lab at the Google Cultural Institute, merging ideas with art and technology.

6. News: The new Arts Impact Fund in UK

The Arts Impact Fund is a new £7million initiative set up to demonstrate the potential for social investment in arts. Note: Restrictions on funding from some partners mean the Arts Impact Fund can only lend to organisations registered in, and operating primarily in, England.

7. Dr. Andrea Siodmok’s blog “Design in Policy Making”

Can we create public services that are valuable to the public, so that they are delighted, even proud of their existence – whilst simultaneously saving money?

8. Laura Bolt’s blog on AIGA “A Genius Lesson from Franklyn in How to Rebrand a Branding Agency”

Great design example of rebranding an innovation firm.

For more speedy PSILabs updates, follow MaRS Solutions Lab @solutions_lab and Terrie at @terriehyichan.