Can design save the world? It’s a question How&How are often asked, and their answer is often sniffed at. Believe what you like, they say—because they believe, yes. Yes, it can. Creativity and brand-building are some of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal. 

“Brands are like people”, explains How&How creative director Cat How. “Good ones stick in your head. You remember what they look like, how they talk, and what they’re doing to help fight the climate emergency. If you like someone, chances are you’ll invest in them. Suddenly they now have what they need to make their climate-saving dream a reality.” 

And design has enabled this.

That’s why Cat and her husband and co-founder Rog How set up GetSet. This year the studio will contribute £200,000 (€240,000 or $272,000) of agency budget to helping four climate-tech startups launch their businesses initiatives. Each with their go-to-market Brand and Pitch Deck, ready to wow investors. 

How&How will create four ‘sticky’ Brands, with super-slick Proposals of why they need investor money to make this all matter. Or as Cat How calls them, “four beautiful, articulate ambassadors for change”. Every quarter How&How will choose one climate-tech startup to take on a four-week intensive branding program, where they’ll create a Brand and Pitch Deck worth £50,000 (€60,000 or $70,000) together, for free. GetSet was an evolution of How&How’s popular BeHalf initiative – self-funded studio projects that the team took spun up on behalf of the Planet. “We saw Mother Earth as our client,” explains Cat How. “We felt she needed her design team to help her visually and verbally communicate and articulate urgent messages about ocean pollution and dangerous microplastics. That’s how BeHalf was born.”

As the BeHalf projects – such as Deadly Dust, their collaboration with award-winning Tyre Collective – started to take off, Cat and Rog How decided to make things more official. Three months in the making, and now with a proper application process, interviews, and workshop sessions, GetSet has arrived.  

Ready to save the world? On your marks, getset … go!

*Climate-Tech: technological solutions that mitigate the impacts of climate change and build resilient communities.