Branch is an online magazine written by and for people who dream of a sustainable and just internet for all.
Our call for contributions is open!
This open call is an invitation to our community to submit suggestions for articles they’d like to contribute to the next issue.
The next issue of Branch, issue 9, will explore the theme ‘Attunement: Designing in an Era of Constraint‘ and will be released in July 2025.
Attunement: i) bring into harmony, ii) to make aware or responsive
Here are some prompting questions to spark your creativity in addressing this topic:
- How can we reimagine and rebuild our digital browsing experiences to be attuned to the physical / natural world and help us feel more connected to it?
- What would web components and patterns designed to respond to the constraints of variability and intermittency in renewable energy look and behave like?
- Who is integrating energy data into websites and services, why and what can they share about their experiences and dreams for doing this better and more systemically?
- How can we reduce resource use in ways that also truly support collective decision-making and well-being online?
- Who has lived experiences oriented to natural cycles, such as tidal schedules, moon phases, harvest calendars and other natural phenomena that might inform healthier, more sustainable digital experiences?
- What are other fun experiments or ideas that play with grid-awareness or attunement more broadly?
We explain more about the inspiration behind the theme choice in our open call page.
What we’re looking for
We’re looking for a variety of pieces that cover a range of writing styles and content types, such as: text, code, mixed media, comics, recipes, interface designs, audio, video or games or whatever other medium helps you express your idea.
Pieces can:
- vary in length- long max 2,000 words – short 500 words
- can come from a single or collective voice
- be in languages apart from English: we’d like there to be an english translation for each piece – we can provide translation help
We’re especially interested in case studies reflecting on practical applications of our grid-aware websites toolkit. Case studies can sound quite formal but they really don’t need to be. Submissions that share an experience of playing or experimentation definitely count as case studies, and your play doesn’t need to be complete or a total success to be included! It’s about the learnings and insights about what happened.
All submissions are welcome by Sun 20 April 2024, midnight PST (UTC -8).
We can’t wait to see how you respond to this theme!
Interested in making a submission?
Head over to the Branch site for more info and the submission form.
If you’ve got further questions or want a sounding board for your idea, drop us a line via [email protected].
