My Design Philosophy Part 3: Look to the Future

Jun 4

A photo taken by Clay Kusbach on the coast of Bonaire in 2016.

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

The Most Important Quality in Design

Design is always forward facing. Generally speaking, the ultimate goal of design is to make a better future; to keep moving forward. Nigel Cross reflects how, “Chris Jones had just published his book Design Methods: Seeds of Human Futures (Jones, 1970), which not only provided a textbook of methods but also an expanded view of design as a broad, futures-creating activity” (2018, p. 696). At its core, design is about using our understanding to move forward into the future. I’ll admit, it isn’t always easy moving forward. As a designer, I need to be resilient. I think resilience is the most important quality for a designer. It takes a resilient perspective to keep moving forward despite the tension from challenges, mistakes, and consequences. I have to accept that design can be a messy business, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Cleaning up that mess is what I love. I embrace the future because it gives me direction not just in design but in life even if I don’t know how I’m going to get somewhere. So, I try new things, push on from failure, and challenge my thinking constantly.

One day during an in-class activity, I had to silently sketch a face on a piece of paper with a partner. The challenge was I could only draw a detail on the paper after my partner had drawn her detail. After going back and forth, I sketched a basic, bare face with my partner. My professor had us think about our process. I realized I was coordinated, strategic, and structured during the exercise. Next, we had to draw a face again, but this time we had to draw in the opposite way of the first time. For the second drawing I was dysfunctional, random, and whimsical. My partner and I ended up sketching a funny looking, cartoon-like character. The point was that we were supposed to try and be different. In order to change, I have to be open to new experiences in the future. When I asked my partner which of our face sketches were better, she said the second one.

The Three L’s to Design

My Design Philosophy

My design philosophy is about Learning from the past, Living in the moment, and Looking to the future (three L’s). Perhaps a less cheesy and cooler acronym could be my philosophy is R.A.D. (Reflection, Action, and Direction).

Taken together, these three perspectives -where I’ve been, where I am, and where I’m going- capture how I approach being a good designer. It takes each perspective to frame a robust design theory.

Looking ahead, life is uncertain as Covid-19 continues to change the world as we knew it. The future normal will need new systems we didn’t think would be possible just months ago.

Now more than ever, I need to be resilient and keep moving forward.