Design Like You Give A Damn.

The Unreasonable Institute

2011-04-30T14:59:00.000-04:00

http://unreasonableinstitute.org/

10 New Education Ideas That Are Changing How Our Students Learn

2010-08-27T22:56:00.006-04:00

My students swallowed hard during the first day of classes when I assigned them the task of creating a professional Personal Learning Network tied to their studies using a number of diverse online social media platforms. After sitting down with the current issue of Good magazine [14 pages], I feel emboldened. Here are some quotes.

“Technology is a way to open the window for [students].” David Bitten, superintendent, Wyoming, Michigan, [colonelb on Twitter]

The Obama administration’s National Education Technology Plan: “It calls for teachers and students to be provided with an “access device” so they can stay connected to homework assignments, events and each other.” I have found a closer connection with my students as a result of online media which makes the class time more effective and their overall educational endeavors more effective.

“Education is a knowledge industry and in 2010 that really means access to technology.” Karen Cator, director of education technology for the US Dept of Education. And “Using technology for social reasons is very different from leveraging technology to think and learn and solve complex problems.”

I have incorporated a variety of social media formats into my classes since 2007. It has had the effect of building community and teamwork within the programs I direct.

Some assignments are public via these media, which has increased individual assessment and, as a result, learning. Students write more when they blog; when they write they better understand what they think. One of my favorite quotes is something to the effect of writers write in order to understand what they think. I add, artists make to understand what they think and feel about what is going on around them.

Indeed we are a globally networked society and students today [and all of us] need to understand how to be digital citizens.

www.good.is/educationguide

an online platform for thought and action around education
goal: top create a vibrant discussion about these topics- online, in print, in the real world

www.good.is

The Jewelry Project at the House of Ruth

2009-10-04T19:45:00.001-04:00

Check this out.....great idea!
http://thejewelryproject.blogspot.com/

"Profit is useful if it serves as a means toward an end."

2009-10-02T20:47:00.002-04:00

Interesting review of Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story" in the Washington Post.

Ties in nicely with many of our consumerism discussions in Design and Social Entrepreneurship course.

Photograph Your Guerilla Project

2009-09-10T00:32:00.002-04:00

Many guerilla tactics are temporary so photograph your guerilla tactic in situ.
Post on your blog. Document your process/progress as well.

Give aesthetic consideration to your guerilla install/tactic. Anita has a great idea that I can image would be just lovely when first installed. Think color, materials, design....etc.

Sketch. add color. Sketch the guerilla tactic in situ.
Design It! from start to finish.

Listen! Pay Attention.

2009-09-07T09:26:00.005-04:00

I continue to be surprised when my students do not know what public radio is and they are not familiar with the local stations WYPR in Baltimore and WAMU in DC. Once you get comfortable with the local stations, start streaming public radios stations from the more diverse and forward-thinking cities in our country. A telling statement came from one of my students a number of years go in response to the integration of ethical issues into the art and design courses I teach. I designed an assignment on the issue of Blood Diamonds. We watched The History Channel's documentary together because of its horrific and blunt content. I put together and gave students lists of references for further research/learning: projects designed around the issue, websites, other documentaries and movies, and of course books. Part way through the project this student who I had assessed as being a "good" student said out loud in class, "How did I not know this was happening?" How indeed I thought to myself. I replied, "Where do you get your news? What are you reading?"

This memory indelibly lodged in my mind, came to the fore this morning as I sipped coffee standing in my kitchen, listening to WYPR. Sheila Kast hosted Bill Barry, the Director of Labor Studies at the Community College of Baltimore County's Dundalk Campus. He talked about the origins--and the future--of Labor Day and the labor movement. I am not an expert on labor history but found this interesting. The modern work week was based on an 8-hour workday so that people could have balanced lives: spend time with their families and friends, participate in civic and religious entities, and have a healthy, balanced life. Makes sense. We know that balanced people make better decisions- big and small- when they are balanced. When did we lose this as a national value? I was educated with a liberal arts undergraduate degree and teach in a liberal arts educational system. Our society will function best if we grow well-rounded, balanced citizens. I encourage you to visit the WYPR website and listen to the re-play of today’s conversation. Be informed.

This story also reminded me of the social design course I teach. On Thursday we had our first class brainstorming session in response to the question, "Before we begin to do our research in this course, what do you see as the social issues of the day?" I love this course. Students love this course. I couldn't shut them up- these students had so many ideas, opinions, thoughts about what is going on in our society today. Work is one factor. People are working too much.

Bill Barry closed with the following ideas and imperatives. "Get up, get out, get angry, get organized." This is the history of America, or it was. "What is a little law to a big bank?" This is especially apropos on the heels of multiple events such as the Bernie Madoff scheme and the failure of many people at the SEC[!] Enron, Wallstreet, etc, etc. Businesses, and the the bigger the business the more prevalent the attitude, willingly, knowingly break the law and pay the penalty because it still comes out in their favor. Why have laws if the predominant attitude from the biggest and the most powerful is to ignore them and as a society we accept and tolerate this? Are we really surprised where we are as a society? Really? And finally, as Woodie Guthrie said,
"Take it easy, but take it."

Be Informed

2009-09-06T21:34:00.003-04:00

I saw a great exposé on the largely unregulated debt collection business in this country and the illegal tactics used to scare people. Check this out. One debt collection business profiled was owned by an individual with a felony record whose employees impersonated police officers and bullied in some cases innocent citizens. It amazes me [still] how much poor behavior is permitted in our civil, democratic society. How far Main Street has fallen. Be informed. I don't want to live in a bully culture, so you? Stand up for the country you want.

Amazing Story of Courage- Women's Rights in Pakistan

2009-09-06T21:21:00.002-04:00

Muhktar Mai, a Pakistani woman, is bravely standing up for basic human rights for women in Pakistan and she is making a difference. Check out this story. Nicholas Kristof [NY Times columnist, Pulitzer Prize winner] and Sheryl WuDun [Pulitzer prize winner] have a new book coming out this week: Half the Sky about discrimination against women. They dedicate a chapter to Muhktar Mai. Hear an excerpt here.

Respectful Relationships

2009-09-06T21:01:00.004-04:00

Check out Rick Steves' travel show on Iran. His closing statements [below] struck me as relevant to this course. He raised the issue of the tensions between Iran and America and pointed to governing emotions such as fear and strategies such as understanding. Click here for a link to Steves' site with multiple links to various things: slideshow, travel journal, homepage, etc.

Steves' Closing Statements:

"I left Iran struck more by what we have in common than by our differences. Most Iranians, like most Americans, couldn't care less about politics. They simply want a good, safe life for their loved ones. Just like my country, Iran has one dominant ethnic group and religion that's struggling with issues of diversity and change—liberal versus conservative, modern versus traditional, secular versus religious. As in my own hometown, people of great faith are suspicious of people of no faith or a different faith. Both societies seek a defense against the onslaught of modern materialism that threatens their traditional "family values." Both societies are suspicious of each other, and both are especially suspicious of each other's government.

My hope is that the TV show we produced (along with this journal) will help promote understanding between our two countries. When we travel—whether to an "Axis of Evil" country, or just to a place where people yodel when they're happy, or fight bulls to impress the girls, or can't serve breakfast until today's croissants arrive—we enrich our lives and better understand our place on this planet. People-to-people connections reduce fear and mistrust. We learn that we can disagree and still coexist peacefully.

Granted, there's no easy solution, but surely getting to know Iranian culture is a step in the right direction. Hopefully, even the most skeptical will appreciate the humanity of 70 million Iranian people. Our political leaders sometimes make us forget that all of us on this small planet are equally precious children of God. Having been to Iran, I feel this more strongly than ever. If this all sounds too idealistic, or even naive...try coming to Iran and meeting these people face-to-face.

Happy travels...and, as they say in Iran, 'May peace be upon us.' "

Clothing + Digital Technology

2008-12-29T13:00:00.004-05:00

Sherri might have been on to something when she wanted to "tag" people with a record of drunk driving. Read about W-41 a Netherlands-based company combing clothing and technology. Be. On.The.Edge.

Armchair Revolution

2008-12-25T18:00:00.003-05:00

Check out Armchair Revolution. They have internship opps for any of my social design students who are interested.

Kiva- Micro-lending for the Developing World

2008-09-20T20:56:00.004-04:00

I don't know alot about Kiva but it is billed as micro-lending for entrepreneurs in the developing world. Think Muhammad Yunus [Creating a World Without Poverty] for starters.

Check out this project opportunity:
http://tinyurl.com/4ejc4s

Fast Company magazine- Social Responsibility

2008-09-20T20:34:00.003-04:00

The new issue of Fast Company magazine arrived in my mailbox today. It is the annual Masters of Design issue. The whol thing looks great. In connecting the dot for my students, I looked up some articles on FC's website and passed them along. Under the Social Responsibility page I saw an article about Clorox going green which Anna or Sherri brought up in class this week. Here is another resource. Check it out. If you don't know FC, it is a great magazine about tour world today- all aspects. Just as you see a Design Page on the website, design is talked about in almost every issue of this magazine that is generally classified as a business magazine. FC is about innovation in our world today. Career professionals, when asked about the best careers to go into today, name entrepreneurship as the top field. The competition in the world is tight. Those who are entrepreneurial and innovative will fare the best. And speaking of entrepreneurial and art/design/craft/DIY....do you know Squidfire? If not check them out. I had dinner at Golden West tonight and guess who opened a bricks and mortar store where Atomic Books used to be? Squidfire also organizes a series of DIY shows, here in Baltimore. They did it with their vision, you can do it with yours. It isn't rocket science it just takes motivation. If you aren't motivated to do what you love.....good luck!

NeoCon East

2008-09-14T10:16:00.007-04:00

See my post on Project Object from earlier today about NeoCon East design trade show October 29 + 30, 2008.

On Thursday, October 30 at 9am: Emily Pilloton, founder of Project H Design, will present a summary of her call-to-action (anti)manifesto for humanitarian deign, asking students to stop talking big and start doing good with their design skills. Through examples of Project H initiatives and new models for design business and academics, she will champion the idea of design as a vehicle for social change.

Scraper Bikes

2008-09-13T23:08:00.001-04:00

Great story on NPR today about Scraper Bikes. Check it out.

Art on Purpose- Baltimore, Maryland

2008-09-04T13:31:00.003-04:00

Art on Purpose is an innovative entity here in Baltimore that "uses art to bring people together around issues and ideas." Check them out.

Social Design

2008-09-04T13:23:00.002-04:00

This is a link to the image of the website [above] www.socialdesignsite.com. Check it out.

Project M- John Bielenberg

2008-09-04T13:04:00.003-04:00

Project M is a terrific art project created by John Bielenberg who was inspired by the amazing Samuel Mockabee of the Rural Studio program at Auburn University in Alabama. GOOD magazine did a feature on Project M in 2007. And the Project M website a lot of great leads on it although I find it a little hard to read- above is a screen capture of one section of the website. Check it out. Samuel Mockabee inspired so many people. Here is a link to a video....there is lots of good info out there on him. Be in the know.

Thoma Mann's Storm Cycle

2008-09-04T12:57:00.003-04:00

Thomas Mann is a metalsmith based in New Orleans. When Hurricane Katrina hit he happened to be on vacation in Michigan. The metals community was emailing Tom like crazy so he used his email list to send out updates. [Network and stay connected to people and communities; nothing happens in a vaccuum.] For those of us receiving those updates, it was a personal inside view into what was happening there.
Tom returned to New Orlean as soon as he could [he is well connected]. He is a visual artist. He toured by boat, taking it all in. He then hired a helicopter to fly him around, photographing the entire time. He created a body of work titled, Storm Cycle. It is one response to a crisis situation.

Avant Guardians

2008-08-31T17:09:00.002-04:00

Avant Guardians is a series of small books written by Linda Weintraub addressing the environment from several different disciplines including art. The Avant Guardians website has some great links. Linda spoke last year at Goucher, an interesting lecture blog-worthy. If you are interested in the intersection of art and the environment and art, science and the environment check out Linda's work.

Eco-Bags in 3 Minutes, 36 Seconds

2008-08-22T07:59:00.005-04:00

Creatives who are successful are in touch with the world today. They listen to the news. They read newspapers and magazines. They observe; a key skill of any designer, artist, entrepreneur. I call it keeping your finger on the pulse. Success is dependent on having your finger on the pulse of whichever field you are interested. In the classroom I talk about Design Pulses and have a "column" on another blog of the design pulses I mention in class.

I listen to NPR, or National Public Radio, most days, all day, during the summer. As I make the coffee, research something new, model designs, run errands, get showered and dressed, etc. During the school year that tuning in changes to on my way to and from work and streaming when I am in my office. This morning I heard a good little snipet of information that made me think of two of my courses this coming semester: Design and Social Entrepreneurship and Design + Production. The 3 minute, 36 second spot was on Eco Bags. Check it out.

I like to eat, well. I want my students to eat. And eat well if they want.

Be The Change

2008-04-22T00:26:00.000-04:00

Check this out: http://bethechangeproject.wikispaces.com/

Carbon Neutral U

2008-04-04T15:30:00.002-04:00

Check out "Carbon Neutral U" by Andrew Blum in the February issue of Metropolis magazine. You can access this and many articles through the Cook Library Homepage.

Big Ideas for a Small Planet

2008-04-04T11:48:00.001-04:00

Big Ideas for a Small Planet is a series produced by Robert Redford's The Sundance Channel. The second season just started so check it out. On Comcast it is channel 165. We used the first season in Design Like You Give A Damn last semester. So inspiring. There are so many people in the world thinking about how to do things differently...smartly. Not just thinking- implementing their ideas and making it go. The Sundance Channel's The Green has so many great resources and information. Immerse Yourself.

[re]Design

2008-03-30T21:56:00.001-04:00

[re]Design is an innovative socially oriented design collective.
Check them out.
I am on deadline or I'd post more.
Enjoy!

Guerilla Tactic Raising Awareness about Oil Spills

2007-11-23T15:14:00.000-05:00

Check out Rachel Kesler's blog, associated with The Compact.
She has a great geurilla tactic for protesting the recent oil spill in the SF Bay.
The Compact is also an interesting initiative investigating our individual level of consumerism.
To find the blog, use Google's Blog Search.

Save Second baseB

2007-10-27T22:48:00.001-04:00

Here's a great way to draw attention to breast cancer. I just got my "Quinn" shirt in the mail today and I love it- the back is also nicely designed. The Quinn is a bit more understated than the Kelly, the original. I am going to give these as holiday presents.....Support the causes you believe in and raise money to help solve some of these problems. Share the news about Save Second Base. I believe it is a group of high school girls who designed the shirts and they actually got in trouble for the shirt, I guess we do need an anti-conservative movement! I think this is a smart design- everyone has an interest in second base except gay men and I bet they still support saving second base!

Eco-conscious + Good Deeds in Hampden

2007-10-20T16:35:00.001-04:00

I have heard about the Dogwood Deli for quite a few months now. After a tough week I took Friday afternoon off and had lunch at the Dogwood Deli and scouted good design in Hampden. The food matched the rave reviews and I glimpsed the newly renovated dining room which other than the "approach" is beautiful and upscale. The best part: the Dogwood gives people a second chance.....good food and feel good. Go soon!

Blessed Unrest

2007-09-19T13:16:00.000-04:00

I have been reading Paul Hawken's (of Smith & Hawken) book, Blessed Unrest, How the Largest Movement in the World Came Into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming, and wanted to share some ideas from it.

If you look at the science that describes what is happening on earth today and aren't pessimistic, you don't have the correct data. If you meet people in this unnamed movement and optimistic, you haven't got a heart.

From conversations with Native American people: The way we harm the earth affects all people and how we treat one another is reflected in how we treat the earth.

Inspiration is not garnered from the recitation of what is flawed; it resides, rather, in humanity's willingness to restore, redress, reform, rebuild, recover, reimagine, and reconsider.

People are not always literate or educated; and I would add: in specific areas of knowledge.

Altruism, work on behalf of strangers,....has very practical 18th century roots. Abolitionists were the first group to create a national and global movement to defend the rights of those they did not know. It is not a liberal or conservative activity; it does not require saintliness or political party.

The Internet and other communication technologies have revolutionized what is possible for small groups to accomplish and are accordingly changing the loci of power. ...Until recently it has never been possible for the entire world to be connected.

America has been home to some of the most important progressive efforts in history: women's suffrage, abolition, civil rights, food safety.....

Hawken acknowledges his western perspective and simply states that it is the culture that he comes from and goes on to point out that this movement is worldwide and that many, many cultures are doing great things and they are not to be over looked. He gives examples in the intro and throughout the book.
The Germany the green movement became an organized political party and now hold positions at the highest echelons of government.

The environmental movement began in the UK as a series of public health campaigns during the Industrial Revolution.

South Africa is inextricably bound to social justice issues embedded in the country's history.

Long ago small, seemingly inconsequential actions took place that eventually changed the world-outcomes the original actors might never happened. In a time when people feel powerless, a history of altruism can be a balm because it reveals the power of helpful and humble acts, a reminder that constructive changes in human affairs arise from intention not coercion.

It looks like a worthwhile read for sure. Check it out!
And from me:
One's actions do not have to be grand to affect change. All change happens locally.

Do something good today.

Giving Back, President Clinton and KIVA

2007-09-11T00:26:00.000-04:00

While checking out one of my former student's blogs I came across a post titled "giving back". In a book by president Clinton on giving an organization named KIVA is profiled. Check it out at: www.eliza-kate.blogspot.com

Droog Call For Proposals- The Climate

2007-08-31T10:59:00.001-04:00

The Biggest Loser

2007-08-28T23:02:00.000-04:00

This is a show that ran on television a year to two ago. Google it for clips and much better images than this one. It isn't necessarily about being muscular but about being healthy. I like the design of the show- how the show was set up. It took into account the current state of tv watchers (reality tv craze). Representatives from each of the 50 states- so the whole country is engaged- competed but also worked together. The contestants are put into groups and the groups have to work together to loose weight and eat right. Check it out.

2007-08-28T22:11:00.001-04:00

The UK Design Council designs and creates programs that address social issues. They are also ahead of the US in terms of being progressive and forward-thinking. Check out the UK Design Council. Jennie Winhall of said organization spoke at the International Design Summit in October 2006. She has been a part of a number of these teams so look for her name and podcasts that might include her. She is charming, self- effacing and smart.
Happy Surfing!

Design Reaction

2007-08-27T07:26:00.000-04:00

Check out Design Reaction: www.designreaction.org. Images of the homepage and two examples.

Deborah Adler's Clear Rx

2007-08-27T07:24:00.000-04:00

Droog

2007-08-27T07:19:00.000-04:00

Droog Design is a design collective located in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. They rock my world. The designers at Droog are international. They work with low-cost or recycled materials. The Museum of Art & Design (NYC) says this, "Droog is not a style. It is a brand and a mentality...a congenial pool of designers, a distributed statement about design as cultural commentary, a medium...." There are so many amazing ideas and objects from Droog. Two of my favs are Share Fence by NEXT Arcitects and Andreas Möller's Bolie-Box.

Guerilla Gardening/Renegade Gardeners

2007-06-05T08:35:00.000-04:00

Here’s another great idea. Guerilla Gardening. I first came across this idea on an episode of The Green on the Sundance Channel (Tuesdays at 9pm; it is a whole series). A group of people will, under the cover of night, take over an abandoned piece of urban land and make it beautiful by planting. Highlighted on The Green was a group from Portland, Oregon, my former hometown. They beautified a strip of land adjacent to a bus station. I can’t help but think that the next morning the people using that bus stop had to have noticed this goodwill gesture and perhaps for a moment their attention was arrested and they noticed something pretty and nice…..a moment of peace and appreciation. Our actions do have an impact. Small or large. Did you cut someone off on the road today or in conversation? Were you unfriendly? Did you let someone who was in a hurry go before you in a line? Hold the door for someone? Or just smile at someone? Another example of guerilla gardening is Richard Reynolds from the UK, www.guerillagardening.org. He uses the internet to cultivate practitioners.

Face2Face Project

2007-06-02T13:56:00.000-04:00

I discovered the work of JR, a French photographer and street artist and one of his current projects, Face2Face, in the current issue of GOOD magazine. From JR's website (www.jr-art.net): "The Face2Face project is to make portraits of Palestinians and Israelis doing the same job and to post them face to face, in huge formats, in unavoidable places, on the Israeli and the Palestinian sides. In a very sensitive context, we need to be clear. We are in favor of a solution for which two countries, Israel and Palestine would live peacefully within safe and internationally recognized borders." The images on JR's site of the installation of the photographs is terrific- check it out. Casey Caplowe writing for GOOD magazine says, "It is an audacious project both in its scope and in its willingness to point out the obvious similarities between two groups who so often consider themselves irreconcilably different." If you haven't yet checked out GOOD magazine, do so. I got up at 5am yesterday and spent the day trekking NYC arriving home exhausted. When I saw the new issue of GOOD I felt a surge of adrenaline and ended up paging through almost the entire issue, surfing as I went.

Viewing This Blog

2007-04-06T09:07:00.000-04:00

If you view this blog with the Firefox Browser you will have many more options in terms of what you can see, links, etc.......download a free version of Firefox and see what there is to see!
Cheers!

2007-03-25T09:54:00.000-04:00

Design Like You Give A Damn

2007-03-23T07:37:00.000-04:00

Introduction: Design Like You Give A Damn
©Jan Baum 2007

Everything in the world, except that which has been created by nature, has been designed by human beings. This is a fairly ubiquitous idea and therefore not really earth shaking but I like it because it refocuses our perspective at a 30,000’ view. A godfather of designed objects, Victor Papanek, suggests that to be creative is human nature (Design for the Real World). Indeed people design things everyday by taking a series of elements and arranging them into some kind of desired order whether our daily schedule, our garage, or our studio work. And indeed, many people not trained in any kind of design process or discipline end up designing- systems, organizations and even objects that affect our world, that affect people. It is also a fair common belief (well documented by a number of sources) that the US educational system by-and-large beats creativity and creative thinking out of us by first or second grade and then simply reinforces its system. American students are by-and-large trained to spit back the right answer. And perhaps we can acknowledge that until recently being a creative person making a living in a creative way in the U.S. is to have been seen to be on the margins of society, albeit very special margins; and viewed with a level of suspect: “What do you do exactly?” (it’s all in the tone).

The world is a mess. And perhaps design and creativity can help find some ways out. What creative people do is imagine. Imagine ways to do things. Imagine better ways to do things. Studio artists traditionally imagine ways of representing in physical form what they think or feel about somewhat abstract ideas; it is a method of communication. Designers imagine ways to make the products we use better and how to help us communicate with each other better (wayfinding, for example). Regardless of the place (discipline) creative people come from, the process is pretty much the same. (Don’t worry Contrarian, you are in my head as I write all of this.) Define a problem. Brainstorm possible solutions. Do some research about best possible solutions. Make a model of the best solutions. Get feedback. Improve the models. And prototype it. The design process can be applied to any problem.

Inspired by many people who are applying the design process to real world problems (International Design Summit, October 2006, although there are many, many groups and cutting edge conferences happening around this) and the directness and initiative in Architecture for Humanity’s Architecture for Humanity: Design Like You Give A Damn book, I created a university level course at Towson University, which in my mind is still called Design Like You Give A Damn. [After being run through the bureaucratic watering down machine, I was forced to accept 3D Design and Social Issues if I wanted the course to run at all. (The US educational system still reinforcing its system.) My apologies for the mediocrity of title. Despite my continual Houdini-like feats, from time to time I find those damn mediocrity handcuffs around my wrists.]

Students are asked to stop and look around their world, our world- it is all the same world- and find social issues they think need addressing. Issues they feel strongly about, personally invested in, personally attached to. And apply design thinking and the design process. Students in the class function as a design team. Cross-disciplinary work is encouraged as is collaborative work. I ask students to suspend temporarily the formats they are most familiar with and consider all formats especially new formats and technologies. Where are we in 2007 in terms of what is possible? “Do the best you can with what you have”, a wise person once said.

Cross-disciplinary/multi-disciplinary work is key in designing successful ideas/solutions. The first iteration of this course is confined to students in the arts but there is mutual interest from Cultural Studies. The more diverse the people around the table are, the better, more effective the solution. Lots of people are creative, lots of people have or can come up with good ideas, if fostered and nurtured, an given the opportunity. Creativity and the design process has a significant role in entrepreneurship. I would love to teach a design/creativity course in entrepreneurship programs.

I am interested in capital D design. And small d design. And in DIY design. And the kind of design that Anthony Hopkins’ character in The Fastest Indian (highly recommended) is involved in. With few exceptions, I am interested in what people make. (Sometimes I am “interested” in what someone has made because it functions so poorly.) Less interesting to me are the divisions between specific disciplines while I can agree that categories can be helpful in understanding distinctions between specific practices. I just don’t think they are helpful and I believe that cross-disciplinary/multi-disciplinary work is key in designing successful ideas/solutions. A good idea is a good idea regardless of who came up with it or who, more likely, spit it out first. And a good design is a good design regardless of which practice it came out of and whether the designer belongs to the right design discipline to be making X thing. Or whether they came out of a design discipline at all. People are creative. This a good thing. Let’s clear the way as much as possible for people to be creative and get good ideas out there into the world. Example: Deborah Adler came up with the idea of the newly designed prescription bottle, Clear Rx. She taped new graphics to an old prescription bottle then worked with an industrial designer to create a new container form. Working together across disciplines, fantastic. If someone has a good idea, they ought to find a way to execute it rather than worrying or, worse, self-censoring and not coming up with new ideas at all, that they “can’t” because they aren’t trained in a specific discipline. Find someone who is! This territorial conversation happens within the arts. I have news for you business people are employing the design process and speaking as authorities about the design process they don’t care whose province it is. They see that the design discipline works and they need something that will work. I don’t have all the great answers, you don’t have all the great answers but if we work together we may arrive at some good answers. Then someone will come along and improve it. If we are lucky. What is important to me is not the ego (people ought to get credit for what they do) but the solutions that affect people’s lives in a positive way. More heads are better than one.

What creative people have in common is design thinking.
The ability to take an intangible idea and give it form.
The ability to encounter a problem and imagine solutions; new solutions; creative solutions.
The interest and ability to evaluate current systems and imagine better ways of doing things.
To be fueled by change rather than fearing change.
The talent to determine and assemble the necessary elements to execute a solution.
The talent and ability to arrange elements in order to define form in an aesthetically pleasing or effective way.

Creative people contribute immensely to this world. Creative people solve problems whether an art problem, a design problem or a social problem. Creative people bring light and life to our lives. Imagine living in a world without any creativity or with government mandated/controlled creativity.
As a westerner this is very difficult. I met a wonderfully creative painter in China this past year who lived through the Mao era and talked with me about what it was like to be a creative person during a regime such as this.

In order to create anything that is relevant designers/artists must have an understanding of the world as it is today; the whole of the world not just a specific discipline. And our world is growing more complex and continually evolving. For Maya Lin’s Vietnam Memorial to be as effective and affective as it is, she had to have an understanding of how people were feeling about the war and why; an understanding of how the war went down. In order for The Biggest Loser to be such a hit, the designers had to understand not only the problem but also the current American culture and design accordingly. Stuydents are asked to examine what has made successful ventures such as theses successful. At the Mayo Clinic they have built a design studio with glass walls within the Clinic in order to observe and make design improvements on the user’s experience. Design is as the center of our lives. Everything in the world, except that which has been created by nature, has been designed by human beings. Design is what helps to give meaning to our lives, to make sense of our lives.

Design Like You Give A Damn is a course that creates an opportunity for people to address issues they see in our world. Big or small. Outside of prescribed boundary lines. As designer or artist or ?. Setting discipline specific boundaries aside, being aware of new technologies and methodologies, and working collaboratively as a cross-disciplinary design team to address specific issues. At home in regional communities with great need like Baltimore or internationally. It is true: people design things everyday from our relationships to our studio work. We put things in some kind of order for a desired outcome. My intention with this blog is augment the course with a wide range of design examples.

Now, let’s design like we give a damn.

RED Campaign

2007-03-22T22:03:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Design Like You Give A Damn!
On this site you can find examples of design that gives a damn.