Design Manifesto
The words graphic designer, architect, or industrial designer stick in my throat, giving me a sense of limitation, of specialization within the specialty, of a relationship to society and form itself that is unsatisfactory and incomplete. This inadequate set of terms to describe an active life reveals only partially the still undefined nature of the designer.
Alvin Lustig
I am a designer by chance.
After four years of my bachelor degree as an Industrial designer, I still go to bed wondering: Why I end up being a designer? I tried to reflect on how I made that important decision. I wonder: Who was that 18-year-old girl who thought that being a designer was the thing for her? In 2014 I received my diploma as an Industrial Designer. At least that day, I was sure I had made a good decision. I was excited to go out to the world and apply the things I have learned. I wanted to grow as a professional and become better every day.
I got a position as a junior Industrial Designer in a company called Publimpresos. This company focused on the in-store marketing expertise. It develops point of purchase displays for different brands to help them sell more of their products. My job as designer consisted only in rendering these displays over and over.
I passed 2.400 hours of my life designing trash.
While writing this manifesto I realized that quitting my job in this company was my first step to be a more sustainable designer. I was completely sure that my role as a designer was much more important than doing renders to encourage people to drink Coca-Cola.
I remember how critical I was with my role as a professional after that job. I understood that I was challenging the way designers are perceived in companies and in society. I was, and I am still convinced, that design can be used as a tool to achieve social transformation; with that in mind, I decided to do the master in Strategic Design.
Strategic Design is the discipline that allows me to work with design mindset in unconventional fields. The methodologies and tools enable me as a designer to immerse in complex environments, to analyze the system in a holistic way, to understand the detail as well as the big picture and finally, it gives me the power to connect dots and create new ways of doing.
- I am a designer who believes that products, services, and strategies can create patterns of behavior that enable change in society.
- I am designer who believes that social challenges like poverty, prostitution or climate change can be defeated when the solutions come from sensitive disciplines like design.
- I am a designer who believes in the power of rigorous research to propose creative and sustainable solutions.
For me, it is important that Strategic Design is perceived as a much more complex discipline. It allows me to project myself as a designer and it empowers me to explore the fields where I want to apply design.
I grew up in a very unfair society in which the possibilities to have the basic things for a decent life are a privilege of a few. It is important for me as a designer to be able to transform and impact with my work the life of these communities. It is important for me to see how people benefit from the things I design. It is important that my work persist. It is important for me to talk with the people and design with them. It is important for me to understand how my design can make the life of these people in need easier, happier and better.
- I wish my work is able to sensitize and inspire people to be good with themselves, with their neighbors and with their cities. I wish my design inspire people to think not only about their well-being but about the well-being of the people around them. I wish my design carries a message of prosperity, equality, and unity to make this planet a better place.
- I am a designer who believes little changes lead to bigger changes. In order to be a sustainable designer I first have to be a sustainable person. For me, change only happens when I have the conviction to be critical with every decision I take. For example, the things I choose to consume, the food I decide to eat, the way I decide to move around the city and the time I take to inform myself about brands. These little things that shape my daily life are translated in values that I decide to live every day. When these values are clear I can easily transfer them to my professional activity.
Everything that comes out of me gives an idea of who I am!
The definition of success for me is based on how happy and passionate I am with the things I do in my daily life. For this reason, I don’t dream with working in a big company or earning a lot of money. I hope when I graduate I can find the time to explore working offers to make sure that when I join a company I can practice what I wrote in this manifesto. I wish I can apply design and develop projects that are sustainable for communities around the world.
To the Angela of the future I say:
- Be loyal to your beliefs as a person and as a professional. Everything you have written in this manifesto is what makes you a unique designer!
- Always design for the ones who need design the most. Remember the people in your country and work with them until you make their life better.
- Believe that design is a powerful tool for transformation. Trust the process and don’t give up when things get complicated.
- Design with passion. Be sure to choose your projects wisely, don’t do it for the money. Think in your beliefs and fight for them.
- Be critical. Be critical. Be critical.
- Make wise decisions. Be aware of the consequences of your work as a designer could have for the communities you will work for.
- Reflect constantly on the things you do at your work. Ask yourself daily what are the reasons of putting your energy in a project. Everything should be valuable and significant for you and your user.
- Have a purpose in all the things you do.
- Be coherent with your beliefs and your work.
- To conclude, remember you are the only driver of your train. Don’t be ever afraid to slow down or stop completely to reflect if you are going in the direction you want.
