Feb 4
My Design Philosophy
One of the earlier questions, Prajjwal & Me talked about was:
Would you design something that communicates hate, violence or discrimination?
The answer is No for everyone I talked to including me. But, I was not satisfied.
Design philosophy is important because they set directions for design, ensures that we design what we value. But, it’s complex and in this reflective writing, as we progress, figure out and hack design philosophy.
To begin with, I must say I am angry with designers right now. One, What the fuck they are designing and solving? Second, All the work they have done has done nothing more; other than pollution.
Jastai, A hundred years ago, There was war and there were problems, such as scarcity. Design was an excellent solution. But today, we have abundance, and maybe now it’s time to think about local resources or climate or identity of people, kind of designing (more like manufacturing) when we need it. It does not make sense that I have 100s of shopkeepers and 1000s of products ready to be sold when I just need one.
After that, I also like the idea of inclusive design, where we design for extremes and all normal distributions are included. It might be fulfilling.
However, I also cannot deny the fact that Design is much bigger than me, bigger than us; because of its immense power and ability to influence which as a designer I should be aware of. Also, There is this symbiotic relationship of design with other domains of human life, such as culture and communication.
It is hence necessary for me to understand that Design is less about me and more about its intended use, it should have a balance on purpose, function & aesthetics. It’s also about good design in a way rather than more design. YKWIM, right?
For me design is understanding myself, going on a reading journey that has no end, collaborating, being overwhelmed and maybe figuring something at the end. Maybe I will solve something someday, till then; Shine.
