We always ask people what their advice is for young designers. What is your advice?
That’s probably a more complicated question now than it’s ever been. It used to be, “Should I start my own business, or should I work for a consultancy, or should I go work at an in-house department at a larger company?” Many things have changed to alter that equation. We have this amazing convergence of awesomely powerful tools of creation and insanely powerful tools of dissemination.
Designers have never been equipped with so much ability in terms of 3D software, materials technology, or the ability to get questions answered…almost instantly. Designers can send out their stuff to design sites, or post it in online portfolios. A piece of work can find its way around the world in half a day, and suddenly you can be a hit, fielding inquiries for more press, or orders, or nibbles from potential manufacturers. I’ve seen it happen many times.
The other things that have changed are more sober. Designers are the people who have these unique talents and methodologies around ingenuity and innovation; who are problem solvers. And given the magnitude of the problems right now, the world needs designers more now than ever. It just may not need them to design teakettles or toasters or MP3 players.
Happily, for a lot of students I meet, this isn’t a burden. Design students, for all their eagerness to design “cool products,” really do seem to come out of the box interested in design for social good, in making a difference and creating meaningful experiences for people. I think the future’s never been brighter for design, and it’s incredibly gratifying to support the field both through teaching and through my work at Core77.
We hope that Designers' Forum will lead to idea sharing as was intended with Core77, and become a tool for our needs as problem solvers.
