Emily Pilloton delivers a speech with design for change in mind.
The short collection of short videos, while infused with the design professions of multiple artists and successful business people all had an urgent and somewhat whimsical feeling to them. Through watching only a few of them, it was refreshing to learn of the different lines of work and the skills that each digital artist had acquired. More refreshing than that was seeing what existing works inspired their design, as well as how they were applying practiced skills in a community setting.
The first film that I watched set some provisions on how design should be viewed and what the purpose of it is. The short was titled, “Contemplation”, and featured designer Agustin Garza. He credited one of his primary pieces for inspiration as an ape-like figure that was constructed many years ago to resemble the gift of giving. Of the many points he made, the underlying message I pulled away from his interview was that design is a tool for contribution and to facilitate a new era of reform in society. Garza alluded that “design is dictated by the conditions that media and society is facing, as we have health challenges and energy challenges that need to be addressed. “ Signifying that design is a contemporary solution to a historic dilemma, he also stated “design can be used as a solution to many global crises.” In which case, I think the concept of design can be effectively used as a healing tool for the ill and a measure of communication in impoverished communities.
“Design will play an unprecedented role in making the world a better place”—Agustin Garza
The second video that I watched was titled “The Heart” and featured a New York City based designer named Deborah Adler. She credited one of the many fountains for her inspiration as being the Piatod in Rome, which she alluded she visited twice in her lifetime. Her video to be particularly indulging for me because of the quotes she had left to me as a viewer and as an emerging designer. Watching her video radiated to me the power of the connection between design and client, as well as design and a mass audience. She stated that “a designer’s strength should not be defined by their aesthetic nor their style, its truly and deeply thinking about the person that is at the heart of your design, and how your design can meet their needs and solve a problem.” Indicative of her speech, her view of design and all regards thereof is very much similar to Garza, in which the word has a communication clef in which design is the resolution.
“[Design] is about having a love affair with your audience”— Deborah Adler
The final video I watched was titled “Do More With Less” and additionally reinforced the concept of “design for change”. Just with the title alone, I assumed that the video would center on how designers could be creatively brilliant in their methods without being overly dramatic in their use of colors and patterns. However, the video fell into a slight different light, drawing on issues of how design could be embraced by youth in developing communities. The featured artist was Emily Pilloton, and her obvious focus was channeling design as a means to an end for many young people coming out of high school and transitioning into college. Her pivotal point was outlining design as an untapped resource in public education. As extra food for thought, I decided to watch her TEDTalk, which I found highly interesting. The TEDTalk speech highlighted Pilloton’s design company, Project H Design and the founding principles. To stand behind the principles of her company, she alluded that “designing through action; designing with, and not for the client; and starting locally and building globally.”
All of the videos I watched entailed practical and insightful messages regarding design and all involved processes. If nothing else, the videos reinforced to me that design is truly three-dimensional, and when composed effectively, possesses the potential to reorganize the means by which we communicate and interact.