Based on the following readings, this blog post explores the ideas of modern design responsibilities. Through reading and responding, they have given me much insight towards being aware and accepting towards new ideas and opinions, and I hope to consciously include these as a basis of my design process.
DESIGN JUSTICE PRINCIPLES
Based on this “Living document” I can ask myself, what is design justice? To put it in my own words, it rethinks design processes to relate to everyone and not just the designer. It is designed to include the opinions of outsiders who are the victims of our designs. Because of this, It generally calls for more of a collaborative creative process to address challenges everyone faces.
I think that this mini manifesto or set of ideas makes a very good point that most designers design based on their own intentions. Design Justice Network suggests that centering the opinions and voices of others that are more affected by these decisions can positively impact our communities much more than designers alone could.
Being a designer is definitely a privilege; to be able to come up with solutions to contribute to everyones daily life is very rewarding. However, it is important to remember that everyone always has unique ideas to offer, regardless of who they are. They state that:
“everyone is an expert based on their own lived experiences”
meaning that just because there's one designer doesn’t mean that they have all the answers. We all have different perspectives and sometimes these perspectives are needed to trigger new and better ideas instead of being limited to one designers voice.
We never know what is good design until it is unleashed into the world and this article has successfully highlighted that instead of trying to come up with the newest and latest solutions, we should collaborate and start by admiring old ideas that were beneficial, and use that as a basis to our research.
THIS IS NOT A MANIFEST
This Is Not a Manifest touches on the basic beliefs that they live by as a studio and there is a lot from this document that is very valuable as direction for young designers like myself. For example, being aware and appreciative is something that stood out to be right away and is seen within the first statement:
“you need to know where you stand, to know from where you are speaking. otherwise you are like a leaf in the wind, pushed by aesthetic trends.”
Designers should not just design for aesthetic pleasure; one does not and should not want to be too caught up in the aesthetics of a design to forget about who or what it is directed to.
The idea of working with clients rather than working for them is something they also touch upon in which I believe is very important in the development of whatever it is a designer is working on. It changes the perspective of both the client and the designer in a way that will maximize collaboration and ideation. To me, treating a client as a partner will enhance the relationship in a new way where ideas aren’t forced upon the designer; rather, they are born by collaboration.
Along with this collaboration, it should always be regarding a topic in which you believe in as a person. Being true to yourself as a designer is something that I strongly support within this text. I believe that us designers should never “put things into this world we don’t relate to”. We should always put our values and beliefs forward, and include them as a major factor to our design's outcome.
Image-Shift presents themselves as being so focused on inclusivity which is something I admire. They don’t feel the need or want to take credit for their work as artists. They state that If it wasn’t for the purpose of the project and direction from clients that they “work with” and not “work for”, the ideas that they discuss wouldn’t have been thought of. It’s part of the “communication design process” and as designers, we should try to see the recipient (client/viewers) “on the same level in shaping the discourses as us the designers”.
This is something that I have always thought about. A lot of times when I complete a project, I always wonder if it would’ve turned out as well as it did if it wasn’t for advice and feedback from profs and peers. Then again that is what teaching is designed to do; bring out the best in us new designers. However, in the real world collaboration will most likely always be a factor in a design process.
This is where appreciating feedback also comes into the picture. Some designers or people that I’ve interacted with either in groups or outside of groups would seem a little hostile when receiving feedback from peers. I believe it’s important to be confident in your designs but not to the point where feedback should be frowned upon; rather, it should be inspiring.
Image-Shift studio clearly stands for being very conscious minded, and always remembering the process in which got them to where they are. Having said that, as a response to this “draft” as a whole, I really appreciate the studio’s awareness; their effort in always focussing on where their designs are going, who is going to be viewing them, and their general afterlife in which reaches beyond the computer screen, are great notions to incorporate into a design career.