My Design Philosophy Part 1: Learn From the Past

May 20

This is the first of a three part series on my design philosophy.

What makes a good design? Ask any designer, and they will all likely say a different answer that changes over time. The more interesting question is what makes a good designer?

That’s the question I want to try and answer. To me, being a good designer takes a balance of three different perspectives from the past, present, and future. These perspectives shape my own design philosophy and who I am as a designer. I believe they can be generally applied as inspiration for any designer. To begin, I want to first look at what the past means to me as a designer.

Learn From the Past: Reflection

The past reveals who we are. When I was a senior in college, I tried applying for a role in UX design with a degree in Marketing. When this didn’t pan out, I became discouraged thinking I didn’t have what it takes to be a designer. I even thought I had picked the wrong major.

Luckily, I was wrong; I just didn’t have the experience. If anything, I’m happy I didn’t do an undergraduate degree in design, because my other experiences have shaped the unique design philosophy I can now bring to the table. As an undergrad, I was heavily involved on the committees for a sustainable business club and a volunteer organization. Through those experiences, I became aware how I could use my talents to serve others and be environmentally responsible. My mentality for sustainability and the triple bottom line framework of people, profit, and the planet all reflect my education in business, environmental affairs, and currently design. This approach is integral in today’s design where, “terms such as the Anthropocene have been adopted to capture the inseparability of humans and nature, which has important ramifications on how we think about environmental sustainability” (Forlano, 2016, p. 48). To me, design outcomes should be sustainable by adding value without sacrificing the planet.

Sophomore year my friend Megan and I were on the marketing committee for a sustainable business organization called Net Impact. Suit up.

The way I see design -through marketability, branding, economics, social and sustainable responsibility- is not necessarily how other people see it. I now realize the importance of embracing my past. The past guides what I do as a designer. As Friedman says, “it is theory and the models that theory provides through which we link what we know to what we do” (2003, p. 512 to 513). In other words, what we know inspires what we can do. The makeup of my graduate cohort is full of diverse backgrounds in architecture, engineering, graphic design, film, psychology, and more. We all come from different fields and that’s no accident. Our backgrounds are like superpowers, as we all have acquired our own strengths and weaknesses. It’s important to realize that everyone’s past has meaning because it is uniquely our own. By sharing our skills, worldview, and knowledge, we can learn from each other and overcome the obstacles we couldn’t face alone. That’s because design thrives when working together (like a super team). We all take a part in creating the culture we want to be a part of. Designers can grow together when we learn from each other’s strengths and help manage our weaknesses.

To learn, I have to continuously look back to reflect on what I’ve done and who I am. That’s because the past isn’t something to throw away, forget, or regret; it allows me to grow. Learning and reflecting from my past fuels my continuous improvement as a person and designer. By embracing my experiences -the good and the bad- I can learn how to improve myself and also those around me.