Integrity=Change

When Alexander Parks invented plastic did he understand the long-term ramifications of his creation? Did Martin Cooper ever think, “Using this phone could potentially cause brain cancer or kill off all the bees in the world”? What about antibacterial soap? It kills bacteria but not just the bad bacteria it also kills the good ones too. Throughout this semester’s investigation into design I realized that we humans create things with no real understanding of what the future effects of our creation(s) will be. Today’s solutions may be tomorrow’s problems, then again maybe not. There is no way to know until the moment arrives. Can this be changed? Doubtful. Should we give up? Hell no. What can be done? Minimize the possible negative effects as best we can determine from our current perspective. Just look at humanitarian design much of it fails lamentably but some succeed and make a difference.

There are some professions, i.e. sciences, financial, government, that are perceived to be where the answer to our current socio-economic and ecological dilemmas lie but design should not be overlooked or underestimated. Design is about problem solving. It is about coming up with creative solutions for age-old problems but also for new problems. Anyone that doubts designers’ ability to affect large-scale, socio-economic change has only to look at Charles and Ray Eames’ “India Report” and its effects on the country. I believe that people that are serious about solving big, ongoing world issues need to take a page from the IDEO playbook about ideation. Design teams consist of, not only, designers but doctors, business people, lawyers, psychologists, fabricators amongst others. IDEO’s ideation process is so successful other fields of business are adopting it to solves all kinds of problems and generate new concepts. Get designers involved with other professionals and maybe together we can solve some problems. Our current global issues require some serious, out of the box, creative thinking. If others don’t/won’t reach out then reach out to them. If they won’t engage you engage them. In this time we live in it is our responsibility to contribute what skills and abilities we have to the greater good.

There is so much room for improvement, in all categories of design, in how we design, what we design, why we design and how we realize said designs. I hope that in my journey, and you in yours, as a designer(s) can figure out what it is that I/we are passionate about designing it will be a great accomplishment. If we then manage to design within whatever field we are passionate about, be it furniture, humanitarian, sex toys or whatever, we will be in a position to affect change from within. Combining your enthusiasm with educated consideration for the ramifications when designing will produce meaningful, considered design. Response to a design is subjective. A design is judged first on foremost on form and function, some may find a chair comfortable, some may find it beautiful, some both and some neither. It is also judged on its intent/meaning, some design has great intent/meaning but terrible form and function and thus is considered a failure. If you combine a “good” design with great intent, consideration and passion it develops integrity and can transcend the subjective. Transcendent design has the ability to affect real change. Change in the quality of a life, of many lives, possibly in all life. Change in one or many attitudes. Hopefully along my journey as a designer I will have the physical, mental and emotional fortitude to attain such a lofty goal. Hopefully we all will. Cause it ain’t easy. Yet even if not the attempt will hopefully inspire others to try and perhaps they will.