Freshman year at RISD: I was considering Industrial Design as my major, and in order to verify my inclination, I opted to take "Product Design 101" over our wintersession semester. One of our assignments prompted us to visit a store and purchase a product to dissect. As I scanned aisle after aisle and noticed shelf upon shelf lined with stuff, I thought to myself, "Gee, I may potentially be responsible for creating the junk that litters this world." But with the hectic nature of school and the incessant deadlines looming and occupying my brain's limited capacity, I pushed my concern to a corner and filed it away as inconsequential.
Now, as a junior with only about a year and a half of college left and the job search faint on the horizon, I can no longer ignore what I once believed was simply a niggling thought. Who am I as a designer, and how will I utilize my skills outside the shelter of school?
How fitting it was then, that our most recent lecture in History of ID should coincide with this past weekend's "A Better World by Design" conference held on Brown and RISD's campuses. During last week's class, Professor Bruce Becker delivered an engaging presentation about disaster medicine, humanitarian relief, and how they interact with industrial design. It jumpstarted a thought of excitement within me: we can create design that matters. We can make the world better, as Professor Becker put it, "one soul at a time."
Today, at the conference, a number of speakers shared their thoughts about "Tech to Kickstart Economies." Erik Hersman, Founder of Afrigadget, struck me with a brief statement: "Ingenuity is born of necessity." He proceeded to show us several photographs and prompted us to play a sort of "I Spy" game with him. What do you see, he asked, as we observed what appeared to be a keyboard devoid of keys, lying haphazardly on a pile of useless scraps. It no longer functioned as a keyboard; it had become a shoe shiner's no-slip shoe shining platform. Other photographs of handmade welders, grinding wheels attached to bike chains and gears, tools made from machine parts meant for another purpose, gave testament to the ingenuity of creative Africans looking to solve their everyday problems with the resources at hand.
What we regard as trash, he emphasized, is actually opportunity. I think that this kind of problem solving should be considered in our design process. In an age where it is becoming alarmingly apparent that our resources are limited and that our planet cannot sustain this level of consumption much longer, it is important to be able to use the things we have already created. We've learned since elementary school the mantra "reduce, reuse, recycle." But now, it is more evident that this should extend beyond paper, cans and bottles. We have to ask ourselves, how can we use post industrial waste, outdated products, or seemingly useless scrap in innovative ways that can meet humanity's needs? Does it really need to be a complicated gadget with an amalgam of functions? Or can we learn from these inventive Africans who have taken what they already have to creatively and effectively accomplish the tasks they set out to do?
Although there is some cynicism that green design is just a fad or that some individuals are only economically motivated, this conference has given me a different perspective on my design practice. I am inspired by the enthusiasm of others in the design world who are also passionate about design that matters. I am encouraged by their hope for change. And to borrow from our new president elect, I am confident that "Yes, we can" create a better world by design.
In addendum: other interesting things mentioned during the conference:
KickStart and micro-irrigation: "Poor people are not victims awaiting rescue"
FrontlineSMS: communication for non-governmental organizations working in developing countries
Triple Bottom Line: People, Planet, Profit
Better Place: freedom from oil with an electric car network
Biomimicry: learning from nature's problem solving
Living Homes: sustainable housing
Architecture for Humanity: bringing design, construction and development to communities in need
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